


Battle of the Exes

by Lynn1998



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alcohol, Childhood Friends, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Tease, Eddie has a scary amount of gay feral horny energy and his POV does not hold back, Eddie’s ex boyfriend is manipulative and emotionally abusive, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Marijuana, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is Whipped, Richie Tozier is a Good Friend, Richie Tozier's Internalized Homophobia, Richie is soft and sad and doesn’t know how to deal with the fact that he’s in love with Eddie, TW mentions of threats of violence, TW verbal and emotional abuse, Very brief mention of Richie Tozier/Connor Bowers, connor is there to cry over the one time Richie hooked up with him and be a little bitch, lots of drama with exes and miscommunications, original characters with no other intention but to make you mad oof, richie gets over protective and Eddie gets easily jealous, they are both gay disasters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:13:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23536594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynn1998/pseuds/Lynn1998
Summary: Eddie and his boyfriend break-up, and Richie has best friend duty of helping Eddie recover. It’s kinda hard to watch the love of your life be mistreated, so it wasn’t hard for Richie to step in.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Original Male Character(s), Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 48
Kudos: 213





	1. Eddie’s ex boyfriend

**Author's Note:**

> TW: (If you didn’t read the tags) Eddie’s ex is an asshole and he’s manipulative and emotionally abusive, so if that’s triggering to you proceed with caution.
> 
> I had this idea…and then I couldn’t stop writing for like three days.
> 
> Also minimal editing, so sorry for any typos.

“Fuck!” Eddie groaned as he stormed into Richie’s apartment. 

Richie’s snoring stopped abruptly at the sound of his door slamming, and he scrambled to pause the show he was watching before he dozed off. It took him a few moments to realize his best friend was in his apartment unannounced with a duffle bag and a very unpleasant frown. He dropped the bag by the door and made his way into the kitchen without another word. Richie watched feeling completely dumbfounded as Eddie went straight for his liquor cabinet and pulled out a shot glass. When he started pouring out the liquid Richie was finally able to stand up and walk over to the counter, and by the time he sat on the stool Eddie was pouring a second shot.

“Hey, Eds. Nice to see you too. I’m doing really well. Thanks for telling me you were coming over,” Richie said sarcastically. Eddie set down the glass and poured a third, but pushed it towards Richie instead.

“First, don’t fucking call me that. Second, I did tell you. I called you three times on my way over. Sorry I didn’t have a lot of time in the Uber,” he said stiffly and turned to put the vodka away. Richie scrunched his nose at the vodka and reluctantly took the shot. He had to already be drunk to drink straight liquor, but he supposed he shouldn’t turn it down since Eddie was in a bad enough mood to take two back to back.

“Damn, when was that? Five minutes ago?” Richie asked.

“Maybe. I dunno, I just grabbed my shit and I fucking left. I didn’t have time to think of where to go, so I figured you’d be fine with at least tonight,” Eddie said opening his fridge and pulling out a beer. Richie frowned and watched him pull of the top with his shirt.

“Uh…well, yeah I guess. What do you mean at least tonight? Did something happen with Kyle? Also, uh, me casa su casa or whatever but you’re going a bit hard right now, Eds.” He took a heavy swig and had to catch his breath after he swallowed. His sour expression from when he first barged it was still stuck on his face as he wiped his mouth.

“Yeah, you could say something happened. That fucking psycho tried to fucking punch me, that’s what happened,” Eddie grumbled and took another swig before finally setting the bottle down. Richie snapped out of his post-nap haze, and got up to stand closer to Eddie.

“Holy Shit, Eds…are you okay? Are you fucking serious? What the hell did he do?” He asked getting angry himself. Eddie shook his head and leaned his elbows on the counter. He ran his fingers through his hair and then rubbed at his face.

“Fuck, I just…he’s such an asshole, and he’s always been such an asshole, but tonight he was especially an asshole and I fucking snapped at him _finally_. He didn’t fucking like that, and so he got all angry like he does and he was yelling at me and he raised his fucking fist at me. I was like…god, he’s really gonna fucking hit me this time, but he pulled it like he always does, and I just…” Eddie trailed off and Richie was in shock hearing all of this for the first time.

“Wait—holy fuck— _this time?_ Hold on. You’re saying he’s always been an aggressive asshole to you in private? He’s always been like…super chill when we’re hanging out, but he’s been physically _threatening_ you this whole time?” Richie asked. Eddie hunched his shoulders and crossed his arms.

“I mean…yeah. I never said anything because it was only when I was being a prick. You know how I can get,” he replied. Richie almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Uh yeah, but I’ve never tried to fucking _hit_ you for it, dude. That’s not fucking cool, what the hell?”

“You’ve had more time to get used to it, Rich. We’ve been friends since we were babies shitting in our diapers,” Eddie deadpanned. Richie gave him a look the begged the question ‘are you stupid?’.

“Eds, that has nothing to do with this. _This_ is abuse. Kyle threatening to _hit_ you and constantly _yelling_ at you for no good reason, is abuse dude,” Richie told him. Eddie looked down and then reached for the beer again.

“He’s got anger management issues, okay? He’s not…he’s not a bad person. I just needed a few days away from him,” Eddie murmured.

“Eds, you need to dump his ass,” Richie insisted.

“And then what? Live with my abusive ex while he’s on his bad side? C’mon, Rich. Not even I’m that stupid.”

“God, just room with me while you’re looking for a new fucking place! Or Bev! Or Bill! Any of us! Even Stan would take you in even though he likes his space,” Richie told him. Eddie sighed and shook his head.

“Fuck, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve finally gotten a real job. I’m out of school, living in my own place, ready to buy my own car soon…if I leave all of that will fucking crumble. I _just_ got promoted from my internship a month ago! I don’t have the savings built up to just pack up and move,” Eddie replied. Richie frowned at that and stepped a little closer to rub his back comfortingly. Eddie instantly relaxed under his touch and rested his forehead on his forearms.

“Look, lets just…chill out tonight, okay? Finish your beer, and I’ll order some take out. We can put on some kinda of reality TV trash that you like, and just catch your breath, okay? Sounds like it was really stressful tonight,” Richie cooed. Eddie nodded and looked up at Richie.

“Just a little bit,” he replied. Richie smiled at that and Eddie finally smiled back.

“Chinese or pizza?” He asked.

“Who do you think I am? Chinese. Duh,” Eddie replied. Richie chuckled and then walked to his fridge to grab the Chinese place card.

“I dunno why I bothered to ask,” he murmured as he dialed the number.

Forty minutes later they were snuggled up on Richie’s couch watching _Kitchen Nightmares_ each holding a box of take out. Eddie slurped his chow mein faster than he should’ve, and Richie was stabbing at his sweet and sour chicken. Before the delivery driver arrive, Richie had grabbed a beer himself and started drinking it while Eddie finished his. He was finally buzzed enough to properly relax, and he was just starting to get giggly when they started their second episode. They shared their boxes between them, and picked up more boxes when they finished. It was only when they got to the fortune cookies did they pause the show and talk.

“These things are so fucked,” Eddie giggled as he unwrapped his cookie. Richie giggled with him and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, but they’re kinda funny when you try to apply them to your own life,” he replied. Eddie rolled his eyes and cracked his cookie open. He then laughed again and shook his head.

“This is _really_ fucked,” he said. Richie leaned closer as Eddie flipped the paper around for him to read.

“‘This month your, wildest dream will come true’,” he read and then immediately laughed with him. “Dude, that is fucked.”

“What’s yours say?” Eddie asked with a mouth full of cookie. Richie looked down to break his own and pulled out the slip of paper. He cleared his throat and then read it out loud.

“‘Your past will haunt you, but it will also serve you’. That just sounds like bullshit,” Richie said snorting. Eddie laughed at his snorting, and they both dissolved into a pile of giggles.

“Fuck, it’s funny though,” Eddie sighed once they calmed down a little. Richie nodded and then played the show again.

“Yeah, these things always make me laugh,” he agreed and leaned back on the couch. Eddie took it upon himself to pull on the blanket on the other side of the couch and then snuggle up against Richie’s chest as they continued to watch in silence.

It wasn’t uncommon for them to be physically close like that. All through high school and college they would cuddle from time to time. Mostly when it was just the two of them, but it honestly wasn’t that often. It was also more likely to happen if either or both of them were tipsy, and it definitely happened if they were high. They grew up together. Sure, they were friends with Bill and Stan from a young age too, but they didn’t have baby pictures together like Richie and Eddie did. They met the rest of their group in first grade, and then the losers club in middle school. All of theirs friends had a special and unique bond between all of them. They were just a very solid group of friends who loved and cared for each other like family. The only problem with that dynamic was the fact that Richie had been deeply and pathetically in love with Eddie since they were thirteen.

At twenty-four years of age, Richie had spent the past decade trying to get over his childhood crush on his best friend. It seemed to be going downhill in high school when he quickly realized his crush wasn’t much of a crush at all. Crushes were a phase. They were a spark, or a hope. What Richie was experiencing was whole-hearted, unconditional, totally helpless, ooey-gooey, heart-racing, anxiety-inducing, willing-to-do-anything-for-him, absolutely crazy, sickeningly sweet love for his best friend Eddie Kaspbrak. With that realization came another one. Richie was absolutely and totally gay.

He always knew he thought men were hot, but he had a phase where he tried to convince himself that women were too. That’s where the sex jokes and the mom jokes came in, and then it kinda just stuck with him as he grew up. He used them more when he came to terms with that fact, and that seemed to successfully hide it from his closest friends. He then went through another phase in college trying out girls for the first time, and that only confirmed it even more. It only took one night with a random guy and three years of five on-again-off-again girlfriends for Richie to fully sit with the fact that he was a homosexual. He sat with it, and then proceeded to tell absolutely no one for three years. Eddie never fully came out, but only dated men since they moved away from Derry. 

Richie didn’t like to assume that just because they were both into men that they would start dating. Like the only reason Eddie wouldn’t like him back was his sexual orientation. There was a plethora of other reasons Eddie wouldn’t and shouldn’t date him. Plus there wasn’t enough confidence in the world for Richie to come forward and tell Eddie everything he had been hiding over the years. He was convinced that it would ruin what they had, and that it would be his fault that their amazing twenty-four year friendship ended. The only thing worse than not being about to love and hold Eddie like a partner was losing him completely. He would take anything Eddie gave him, and would always love him not matter what.

When Richie woke up the next morning it wasn’t by choice. There was a loud ringtone going off, and he groaned as he held Eddie closer to his chest to try and block it out. Eddie, who’s phone was the culprit of the noise, gave a soft moan of protest and gently pushed himself up to reach into his pocket. Richie tried to pull him back down, and Eddie gave in and flopped back onto his chest as he answered the phone.

“Hello?” His voice sounded scratchy and raspy, so Richie could only assume it was early and they didn’t get enough sleep. For some reason Eddie’s phone was still loud, so Richie could faintly hear the voice on the other line.

“ _Eddie, babe. Where did you go? I thought you’d be back by morning_ ,” Kyle said through the speaker next to Eddie’s ear. He groaned and nuzzled against Richie’s chest before lifting his head to answer clearly. The movement made Richie smile a little, but it faded when he realized Eddie’s boyfriend was calling.

“I told you. I need a few days to myself,” Eddie replied. There was a short laugh, and Richie was starting to blink his own eyes open as the conversation went on.

“ _I didn’t think you meant that! Baby, please come home. I have some time before work today, so just tell me where you are and I’ll come pick you up_ ,” Kyle insisted. Eddie furrowed his brows and shook his head before crawling off of the couch (and Richie) and heading to the kitchen.

“Kyle, I’m serious. We need time apart. _I_ need space, okay? We’re both really stressed right now, and it doesn’t help that we only have one room—“ Eddie stopped talking mid-sentence, and it was clear that he was far away enough that Richie couldn’t hear him anymore. Richie sat up on the couch and looked to Eddie with concern. He only looked angrier the longer he stood there listening.

“Kyle, you’re being childish— _Yes_ , you are, and I can’t live…no, I’m not coming back until I figure myself out…” Eddie sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Ky, you’re getting heated again. You need to get yourself in the right mindset to talk about… _No_ , I’m not cheating on you right now!” He snapped. 

Richie’s eyes widened at that last bit. He’s never heard Eddie fight with his boyfriend before. He never even knew that Kyle struggled with his anger. Whenever he hung out with the losers he was always calm and enjoyable. Now he just sounded like a fucking asshole.

“No, I don’t fucking cheat on my boyfriend, that’s something only _you’ve_ done, Kyle…of course I’m talking about Joesph! What, are there other guys you fucked while you were away for that intern trip?” Eddie went on. Richie suddenly felt extremely awkward hearing all this and instead turned to clean up the mess they left out last night.

“Look…shut up, _please_ , oh my god…whatever, just listen to me,” Eddie took a deep breath, and Richie gathered the takeout boxes trying not to eavesdrop (but ultimately failing). “I have a lot of things to think about, okay? And…and I think it’s safe to say that we’re on a break right now. I can’t…Ky, I said listen to me…I can’t promise you that…th-that we’ll still be together by the end of it, but…I just need time to figure this out, okay? So…I dunno. Go fuck Joe again. I don’t fucking know,” he said. 

Richie awkwardly tip toed around Eddie so he could throw everything in the trash. He was about to escape to his room to give him so privacy, but he was quickly stopped when Eddie grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Richie stopped immediately and turned to comfort his best friend. Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes, and Richie was close enough to hear indistinct yelling from the phone.

“Just…fuck, just calm down, okay Kyle? You’re not in the right…you’re not in the right headspace, okay? Y…you’re saying…you’re saying these hurtful things, but I know you don’t mean them, but…” he sniffled and Richie squeezed his hand back. “Kyle. Don’t call me back until you’ve calmed down. Just…think about it, okay? Goodbye.”

With that he hung up and completely turned off his phone. He set the dead device onto the counter and gripped the edge with his other hand. A harsh breath pushed from his throat, and he took a ragged inhale as he tried not to sob. He squeezed his eyes shut harder than he squeezed Richie’s hand, and a dry choked sob ripped from his chest. Richie used his other hand to gently rub Eddie’s back, and was surprised when his friend turned and nearly tackled him to the kitchen floor with a hug. It was like a dam breaking loose on Richie’s teeshirt. He sobbed and sobbed into his shoulder, and Richie couldn’t help but hold him tighter with each violent rip from his throat. His heart was racing with his own anger, but he focused on the concern he had for Eddie first.

“Hey, just breathe, okay? Nice and slow. In…hold…and out…” Richie murmured. Eddie followed his instructions, and they breathed together in his kitchen for a couple minutes. Once Eddie stopped shaking so badly, Richie gently pulled back to wipe his tears away. Even as adults Eddie was still so much shorter than him, and that made him smile briefly. “Let’s get you a glass of water, and then get you to bed, alright? It’s pretty early, and anyone could use a nap after a conversation like that,” he cooed. Eddie nodded and sniffled.

“I’m sorry you heard that…he’s usually good at keeping his temper around everyone else, but—“

“He doesn’t around you?” Richie guessed. Eddie closed his mouth and looked down before nodding. “No need to apologize, Eds. Let’s get you some water.”

Richie then let go of him and opened his cupboard to grab a cup. He got ice from the fridge, and then switched the setting for water. He turned to hand the glass to Eddie, and let him take a sip before leading him to Richie’s bedroom. He only had a single bedroom for now, but he was making enough money with his radio show and writing gigs that he was planning on moving to a two bedroom so he could have an office. Eddie followed behind him into the room. One hand on holding his glass and the other still tightly gripping Richie’s. He let go once they got to the bed, and Richie gently took the glass and placed it on his nightstand. Eddie crawled into his bed automatically, and when Richie was about to turn so he could sleep on the couch he felt those strong fingers around his hand again. He looked back at his best friend and frowned.

“Everything okay?” He asked. Eddie shook his head.

“Sleep here, Rich. That couch isn’t comfortable at all,” he pouted. Richie bit his lip in hesitation.

“Eds…I dunno. I don’t wanna overwhelm you,” he said. Eddie shook his head and moved a little closer.

“I…I could use the company,” he murmured. Richie hesitated again, and then finally nodded before climbing into bed with him.

“Alright. Only because I can’t say no to you,” he sighed. Eddie smiled, and Richie was glad to see him do so after how hard he was crying.

“Good. Keep it that way,” he said. Richie chuckled and got them comfortable under the blankets.

“How’s that?” He murmured. Eddie snuggled up to his chest again, and Richie felt a squeeze on his heart. He loved Eddie so much. If only Eddie loved him back, he would never be hurt like that again.

“That’s perfect, Rich,” Eddie hummed and nuzzled under his chin. Richie smiled softly despite the pain he felt, and lovingly stroked Eddie’s hair.

“Good…”


	2. Eddie’s meltdown

Waking up the second time was much more pleasant than the first time that morning. When Eddie woke up first, he had checked the time before taking Kyle’s call and dreaded the lack of double digits. The entire phone call was brutal, and it was slightly humiliating that Richie had to hear all of that. It was only slightly humiliating because Eddie knew he was his best friend, and if he had any judgments it would be on Kyle’s behalf. He trusted Richie to know that Eddie was doing his best, and that if he had his way Kyle wouldn’t be acting out so badly. Kyle wouldn’t be doing a lot of things. That’s why he had to break it off.

Every time Eddie woke up in Richie’s arms he felt something that no one had ever made him feel before. He felt safe, calm, peaceful, and very very warm. Richie was a warm person in general. He was the type of person who would wear shorts in the winter time because he overheated. Eddie always told him he would catch a cold, which he always did, but he always insisted that he was fine. It was just another stupid silly thing about Richie that made him so Richie.

The thing is, Eddie was kind of in love with Richie. It was probably obvious and embarrassing, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Richie could tell and was just being a good friend by not acknowledging it. That didn’t stop Eddie from absolutely craving every single drop of love he could get in return. It was a sad classic case of the gay friend being hopelessly in love with his straight friend. Because of course Richie is straight. Eddie had never seen him with a guy, and all through out college he always had a different girl under his arm. He dreamed of the day that he could be one of those girls under Richie’s arm, but he ultimately accepted that it was nothing but a fantasy. A stupid gay fantasy that always broke his stupid gay heart whenever he saw Richie making out with a girl on campus.

Kyle was kind of Eddie’s last resort. He had tried to distract himself with other guys. Guys who were actually into guys. In college it was filled with a bunch of airheads and twinks with attitudes. Being in LA, he didn’t know what else he was expecting. Then he met Kyle, and he was very charming at first. He had the same stupid kind of humor that Richie did, and when he first took Eddie out on a date he was so authoritative and decisive that Eddie kind of just went with it. It was exactly the kind of pattern he had with his mother, only this guy was five foot eleven and had dark wavy hair and dreamy eyes that made Eddie forget that he was in love with his best friend. After they got serious things started to go not so well, and suddenly he was being spooned by the one guy he tried to forget about because plan B was a complete disaster.

All of those things ran through Eddie’s head as he laid back in Richie’s warm arms. He then felt them tighten around his waist, and he smiled softly as Richie stretched and groaned loudly in his ear. Eddie kicked back, and Richie hissed before pinching his waist. He yelped in surprise, and Richie laughed before sitting up.

“Would you look at that? There seems to be a grumpy little troll in my bed,” Richie said. 

His voice was prickly and rough from sleep, and Eddie hated how absolutely horny he was for his best friend. He’d probably be disgusted by the thoughts running through Eddie’s head. Thoughts of that morning voice low in his ear murmuring the dirtiest things and then moaning rough and hard when Eddie touches him. He turned onto his back to see Richie positively beaming down at him, and every dirty thought was replaced with complete and utter happiness with the fact that Eddie could simply witness him so soon after waking up. He smiled back.

“I’m not little,” he replied. Richie barked a laugh, and Eddie giggled with him. 

“That’s the only thing you disagree with? Eds, you’re five nine. That’s like barely average height,” Richie said grinning. Eddie always found Richie’s laugh and his smile infectious. He hated how his mouth automatically mirrored Richie’s when he responded.

“I’m still average!” He insisted. Richie rolled his eyes.

“I’m six two, okay? Nothing average is actually average to me,” Richie said. Eddie raised a brow at that and Richie wiggled his back.

“Oh, shut up,” Eddie groaned and lightly slapped his chest. Richie chuckled and moved to get out of bed. Eddie wanted to reach for him again and ask for five more minutes of cuddling, but he restrained himself. He already asked Richie to share the bed with him, and he seemed less than thrilled to do that in the first place.

“Finish up your water and I’ll get started on breakfast,” Richie said and hopped to the door. “Eggs and sausage?” He asked. Eddie nodded as he reached for the almost melted ice water they left on the nightstand.

“Sounds good. I like them—“

“Scrambled. I know you, Eds. When are you gonna trust me to know that you like your eggs thoroughly cooked?” Richie said. Eddie sipped the water and gave him an unimpressed look.

“When you finally cook my eggs all the way through,” he replied.

“But then they’re burnt!” Richie argued.

“That’s the price I’ll pay to avoid salmonella.”

“Not how that works, but have it your way, honey,” Richie sighed before slapping the top of the door frame and walking out.

Eddie rolled his eyes at that and smiled despite shaking his head. He quickly finished the rest of the glass, and then got up to go to the bathroom. After thinking about, and regretting, the fact that he slept in his clothes from the previous day while he peed, he washed his hands thoroughly and air dried them before reluctantly using Richie’s hand towel. It looked clean enough, but he could never trust Richie to wash his towels. He then found his duffle bag he left by the front door, and crouched down to pick out a new outfit. Thankfully it was the weekend, so he didn’t have to worry about going into work. He picked out a yellow teeshirt and a pair of jeans before walking back to Richie’s room to change. He closed the door behind him, and smiled at the smell of burning eggs. When he was finally dressed he returned to the kitchen and was immediately handed a plate of sausage and eggs with brown burnt marks.

“There you go. Scorched and burned just like you like ‘em,” Richie sang and then turned to cook his own eggs. Eddie smiled and walked around the counter to pull out a fork.

“Thank you,” he said and then sat down to eat. Richie hummed as he flipped his own fried egg, and checked his own sausage.

“It’s my pleasure spaghetti man. Speaking of spaghetti, we should have that tonight. I think I’ve got the ingredients for it,” Richie said and served up his own breakfast. Eddie chewed his food a little slower as it dawned on him that they never figured out how long he would be staying with Richie.

“Uh…sure. I mean…if you want me to stay that long,” he replied shyly. Richie snorted and set his plate across from Eddie. He grabbed his own fork and stabbed a sausage.

“That’s laughable. Of course I want you to stay that long. Stay as long as you’d like. As long as you need. Me casa su casa and all that shit,” Richie assured him and shoved the entire tube of meat into his mouth. Eddie rolled his eyes again. They seemed to be on an eternal loop whenever he was around Richie.

“You know what I mean. We didn’t really…decided on what I should do about this…bullshit,” Eddie said. Richie shrugged.

“I guess so, but…Eds we’ve been friends since we were kids. Like you said, shitting in our diapers. I’m always gonna be there for you. Whatever you need, I’ll be here to help you out and cheer you up,” he said. Eddie nodded.

“And I appreciate that! But…Rich, if I break up with Kyle…it could be another month before I can get my own apartment at the _least_. At the most _three_. You’re in a one room apartment, Richie. I don’t want to take over your space,” Eddie said. Richie shrugged.

“I don’t care. I lived in a room the size of a janitors closet for four fucking years, dude. This is paradise to me. Besides, you know I’m thinking of moving in a few months. We can help each other look at apartments.” Eddie frowned.

“You…you would really be okay with me staying here until further notice?” He asked. 

It was embarrassing to admit, but he was actually struggling to hold back tears. Richie had always been Eddie’s rock in one way or another. He there for every panic attack and every rant about his mother and his depression. Richie was the one who could always talk him down and make him feel normal again. Of course Eddie always did the same for him, and Richie had his own fair share of panic attacks too, but it felt like too much. He was asking for too much, taking too much, _wanting_ too much. Clearly his struggle to hold back tears was a failure because he quickly felt Richie wipe his tears away before they could even fall.

“Of course, dude. I know you’d do the same thing for me. Plus, I kinda care about you too, dude. I kinda _want_ to keep you away from your asshole abusive ex boyfriend,” Richie told him. Eddie sniffled.

“…he never hit me and we haven’t officially broken up yet, okay?” He grumbled. Richie laughed and shook his head before piercing his egg with his fork. The yolk ran over the cooked whites, and Eddie pulled a face as he watched him cut up the whites and dip them in the yellow goo.

“That’s absolutely vile,” Eddie said. Richie smiled and shoved it in his mouth. He made a show of chewing it, and Eddie groaned as he turned his eyes away from Richie’s disgusting mouth.

“You should try it sometime. It’s fucking delicious,” he said. Eddie shook his head.

“It’s gross.”

“Did you want to tell the other losers what’s going on, or nah?” Richie asked. Eddie eyed his phone on the counter, and thought for a moment while he chewed.

“Maybe…maybe just Bev for now…she’s had a few shitty boyfriends she’s had to kick out before, so…she’ll probably have a better idea of what’s going on,” he murmured and then reached for the device. He turned it off completely after hanging up because Kyle liked to spam him with texts and phone calls when he was mad. When he powered up the device he was bracing himself for the nastiest text messages and voicemails, but he was surprised to see a single text message sent five hours ago.

“What’s up? Did he spam you?” Richie asked continuing to eat his breakfast. Eddie shook his head, and another tear dropped onto his phone screen.

“He just…” he trailed off and then turned the phone to show Richie. He took a moment to squint and read it without his glasses, but his jaw dropped once he did.

“Wait…that’s it? He just said…”

“‘It’s over’…yeah, I…I-I guess…I guess we’re officially broken up now,” Eddie said not fully believing what he was saying. Kyle always talked about them getting married in a couple years, and, while Eddie would rather be with Richie, he figured if he had someone who loved him enough to marry him it wouldn’t be that bad. He was kind of betting on it.

“Well shit…I guess you’re free now, huh?” Richie said. Eddie blinked at him. His shock clearly written across his face, and Richie’s smile quickly disappearing as he realized how awful this was. “Hey…hey, you’re okay, Eds. You’re okay, alright? You’re gonna be fine,” he assured him. Eddie felt more tears down his face.

“He…he said we would get married…” he murmured. He sounded pathetic. Even more pathetic than the gay guy in love with his best friend. Now he was the gay guy so in love with his best friend he would do anything to get over him, and just when he thought he was, it was all crashing around him.

“Shit…Eds, I’m so sorry,” Richie said. Eddie sniffled again.

“I think…I think I’m gonna call Bev,” he said. Richie nodded.

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything,” he said. 

Eddie nodded and got up to take his phone to the bathroom. He turned on the fan so it would be hard for Richie to hear, and he dialed Beverly’s number as he pressed his back against the door and sunk down to the floor. It rang for a little bit before she finally answered, and her happy cheery voice immediately made him sob.

“Eddie? Is everything okay? What’s up, sweetheart?” Beverly cooed. Eddie sniffled.

“I’m really stupid, Bev. I feel so dumb right now,” he confessed.

“Oh, sweetie. You’re not stupid, Eddie. Tell me what’s going on,” she urged. He sighed.

“I…I told Kyle that I wanted to take a break, and then…then he broke up with me,” he told her. She was stunned into silence. He told Beverly everything constantly. He told her everything he couldn’t tell Richie, and that made her his second best friend.

“Oh…honey,” she whispered. She knew how much Eddie was betting on him despite how difficult he was.

“He did it over text…a-and after I told him to wait and cool off, and…a-and now I’m at Richie’s apartment. He said I could stay as long as I needed, but I feel so fucking stupid because he’s the reason I tried to get a boyfriend in the first place, and now I’m just crawling right back to him,” he went on trying to stay quiet.

“Eddie, that’s okay. Richie is always gonna be your best friend. Even though you have these feelings for him, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t accept his help. He loves you too, it’s just—“

“Different…yeah, I know. And he’s been so helpful so far, but…I wish he could love me the way I love him,” he whimpered.

“I know sweetheart. It’s not fair how life works out sometimes, but I promise you you’ll meet an amazing guy who will make you feel so amazing. You’ll love each other even more than you love Richie, and you can still love Richie and be happy,” Beverly assured him. Eddie sniffled.

“I dunno, Bev. He’s…fuck, he’s perfect for me. We just…we just fit so well, and…I just can’t stand that he likes girls,” he continued.

“You’re telling me. I love Richie too, but knowing he was willing to smash in high school makes me feel physically sick,” she replied. Eddie chuckled at that.

“I’m just…feeling a lot of things and I needed to get those out,” he murmured.

“Of course. I guess your attempt to make Richie jealous by telling him how perfect your relationship is kinda backfired though, huh?” He laughed again, but a little more bitterly that time.

“I guess so…now he has to pick up the pieces. I feel so guilty.”

“Don’t you dare, baby. You’re just trying to live your life. There’s nothing wrong with loving someone and trying to move on,” Bev assured him. Eddie sighed and nodded.

“Yeah. You’re right.”

“Do we need to have a girls night sometime soon? A good night at the club always made me feel good after a breakup,” Beverly proposed. Eddie smiled at that.

“Maybe. Not this weekend though. I’m so exhausted from the fighting. He actually almost hit me this time,” Eddie told her.

“I’m so glad you got yourself out of there. I know you’re trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he’s really a terrible fucking person. This could be good for you,” Bev said.

“It could be…maybe Richie will realize he likes guys and fall in love with me too as he fixes up my broken heart,” Eddie joked. Beverley giggled at that with him.

“Maybe! You never know! Some of the straightest people are super gay,” she replied. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“Oh please. That wouldn’t even happen in my wildest dreams,” Eddie scoffed.

“Don’t put yourself down too much, okay Eddie? Only an idiot would treat you like this. You’re gonna grow so strong from this, I promise baby,” Bev promised.

“Thank you…a night out does sound good though. Next weekend,” he decided.

“Hell yeah! I’ll put it on the calendar. Saturday night?”

“Perfect.”

They ended the call with goodbyes and kisses, and Eddie decided to take a shower while he was in the bathroom. He toweled off with one of Richie’s extras he kept under the sink, and redressed himself in the clothes he picked out earlier. When he walked out of the bathroom Richie was on the couch with his breakfast nearly finished. Eddie picked up his own plate and sat next to him so they could eat together still. He had turned on some obscure sci-fi comedy show he was in the middle of, and Eddie would never understand why he liked these types of shows. Richie was too busy laughing at the show to acknowledge Eddie when he sat next to him, but that didn’t really bother him. He was just thankful for the company and the safety.

“Bev and I are going out next Saturday,” he announced. Richie finally looked over at him and smirked.

“Yeah? Already getting out there? Should I expect you back Sunday morning?” He teased. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“I’m not that kinda gal,” he replied. Richie laughed at that. “But you should come with us,” he invited. Richie looked taken off guard by that proposal, but Eddie fought to remain as neutral as possible.

“I mean…yeah, sure. I don’t really go to clubs, but…y’know, if you’d like me to be there, I’ll be there,” Richie replied. Eddie smiled at that, satisfied with his answer. 

“I think I’d feel a lot better if you were there with me,” he said hoping Richie would understand what he meant. He didn’t care about going home with a stranger. He just wanted to be with Richie.

“Welp. You know I can’t say no to you, Eddie spaghetti,” Richie smiled and focused on his show. Eddie’s smile widened at that.

“I intend to keep it that way.”


	3. Richie’s obnoxious over-protective personality trait

Living with Eddie wasn’t as difficult as Richie thought it would be. Sure, it was soul crushing spending every night wrapped up with the love of your life who will never love you back, but it was a little less soul crushing every time they did it. The first couple days were the hardest because neither of them had to go to work. By the time Monday rolled around, Richie was relieved to go back to his studio and started the day.

As much as he hated waking up at ass crack o’clock, it was nice to wake up first and leave Eddie behind for the next few hours. Waking up and doing the breakfast routine, the soft playful words, the shared smiles and laughs, the sight of Eddie in nothing but his sleep shirt and boxers, it was a bit much that weekend. A little too easy to imagine that it was real and that Eddie loved him back, but he knew that wasn’t the case. His radio show was the death of his late night life style. Having to wake up at two am every morning kinda destroyed the need to stay awake until midnight. Still, it made him more than decent money while he was trying to establish his name in stand-up and writing. Now it was a break from the heartbreaking reality that he was in love with his best friend with no promise of ever being loved back.

A part of the gig was playing oldies for all the people on their way to work and back. So he was mostly playing eighties hits between five am and nine am, and sometimes played something from his own personal taste in the middle of the day. By three o’clock he was back to playing that beautiful blend of seventies and eighties until five when the next guy took over for the next twelve hours. He did that for four days out of the week, and the fact that he did that more than once a week and during the day was a big step for him. He worked that job all through college, and the fact that they kept him on was already a big deal. Turned out people liked his taste and liked his voice when he talked between sets. Eventually his boss let him advertise his stand up gigs when he got them, and that was when he finally started to get noticed.

Eddie was a risk analyst. Yeah, his job was probably as boring as it sounded. He had the standard nine to five job that everyone told Richie he would have to get in high school, but refused to get. Eddie was actually really good at statistics and calculating risk in the eyes of insurance companies, but an everyday person would think he’s a totally nutcase. His idea of a risk is eating eggs that are slightly undercooked. It took Richie three years after they moved out to get him to try peanut butter and four years to try cows milk. He was doing better now without his mother, but honestly if it wasn’t for her he wouldn’t nearly be as good at his job as he is now.

When Richie got home in the middle of the week it was empty as usual. Eddie had been texting him on and off throughout the day, and Richie was enjoying the fact that they had been talking more and more now that they lived together. Richie was smiling wide as he responded to Eddie’s text and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Just as he was about to press send, there was a knock on the door. Richie set down his phone and his bottle to peek through the peephole. He clenched his jaw when he saw Kyle standing outside his door. He opened it almost immediately and glared at the other man with a raised brow.

“Can I help you?” He asked. Kyle looked like a worried helpless dog, but Richie wasn’t fooled. He heard the way he spoke to Eddie. He wasn’t about to let him do that again.

“Is Eddie there? I’ve been looking all over for him. He blocked my number and he blocked me everywhere online too. I know you guys are close, so I was wondering if he stopped by recently? Maybe told you where he was staying?” Kyle said. Richie crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

“Yeah, he’s been here. He was here the other night when you yelled at him over the phone and made him cry,” Richie replied with a scathing tone. Kyle blinked at him with wide eyes.

“Gosh, Rich. I am so sorry you had to hear that. I usually have my anger under control, but…I’ll admit I have problems controlling it. I don’t talk to him like that normally, I _promise_. I’d _never_ treat Eddie like—“

“Dude, you almost fucking punched him. Why the fuck do you think it’s okay for you to be here right now and try and convince me you actually give a fuck about him?” Richie hissed. He wasn’t normally this mean to people, but Kyle was really testing Richie’s limits.

“But I do care! I regret it so much! He’s just so stubborn sometimes, y’know? You’ve known him for so long, so you know how he can get—“

“God, so _that’s_ where he heard that bullshit. Yeah, I’m not about to fucking physically abuse him over it. Sure, Eddie can be annoying, but so can everyone. If you think that makes it okay for you to physically threaten to touch him, then you don’t fucking deserve him,” Richie spat. Kyle pressed his lips into a think line and finally returned Richie’s glare.

“Eddie needs me, okay? We’re going to have a life together, and just because _you_ think he’ll eat up all this shit you’re feeding him doesn’t mean he will!” Kyle said raising his voice. Richie laughed bitterly.

“That’s fucking rich coming from you. I can’t believe you’ve been abusing my best friend under my nose this whole time. I thought you were fucking _good_ for him.”

“I _am_ good for him! I’m not an abuser! Is he here or not?” Kyle demanded.

“I don’t think I should tell you,” Richie replied coldly. Kyle groaned.

“You’ve always been such a fucking asshole, Richie,” he growled.

“Am I an asshole? Or are you just jealous because Eddie thinks I’m funnier?” Richie gloated with a smile.

“Eddie loves my jokes!”

“Eh…he said they’re okay.”

“Ugh! Just—where the fuck is he? Tell me right now, funny man. You worthless fucking waste of human spa—“

“Kyle!”

Richie had been unfazed by Kyle’s words, but he was thoroughly shocked by the sound of Eddie’s voice a little further down the hallway. He looked over to see him dressed in his business suit holding his shoulder strap briefcase and phone. The look on his face said it all, but Richie was too focused on how cute Eddie looked in the pinstripes and blazer. Possibly the absolute hardest thing about this whole situation was having to see Eddie dressed up for work and not be able to do anything about it.

“How dare you talk to Richie like that,” Eddie said as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Kyle didn’t seem to care and tried to walk over to Eddie. Richie quickly snapped out of his heart eyes, and shot his arm across his chest and stopped him.

“Oops! Not gonna let that happen. In this house, I don’t let abusers get close to the people the threaten to _hurt_ ,” Richie said as he pushed him back a little. Kyle clenched his fists, but before he could raise them Eddie cleared his throat to get their attention.

“What is wrong with you? You break up with me and then spam me with apologies? This is low even for you, Kyle,” Eddie said. Richie smiled at that, and shared his pleasure with Kyle. He could tell the other man was trying to figure out if hitting Richie was worth it, and judging from the way he had to tilt his head up to meet Richie’s eyes he wasn’t too keen on it. He turned back to Eddie.

“Eddie, I made a mistake, okay? I was just hurt so I tried to hurt you, and I shouldn’t have,” Kyle said.

“Wow, I’ve never heard that one before,” Richie scoffed. Eddie’s eyes flicked to Richie for a brief second, not mad or happy, just for a moment.

“Who the fuck do you think you are? You think just because you’ve known Eddie longer you know him better?” Kyle challenged. Richie merely nodded his head.

“Yeah, pretty much,” he confirmed. Kyle groaned and focused on Eddie again.

“I’m sorry, baby! I failed to find that mindset and I took my anger out at you. I just wanna make this work. I love you so much, baby,” he pleaded. Eddie was quiet for a moment clutching the strap of his bag. His fingers trembled and his jaw was tight. Richie could see that he was not only mad, but also extremely nervous.

“I…I don’t love you, Kyle,” Eddie announced. Kyle’s jaw dropped.

“What? No, we talked about getting married, baby! What do you mean?” He asked. He tried to get closer again, but Richie stopped him once more and even pushed him further. “You’re really getting on my nerves man!” He shouted raising his fists again.

“Don’t you _dare_ hurt Richie. I swear to god, Kyle,” Eddie said quickly. Richie blinked at him in surprise. The way he said that and how fast he said it made him feel special.

“Eddie, baby—“

“Just fucking leave, Kyle. I can’t be with someone who makes me feel unsafe,” Eddie said sounding hoarse. Richie wanted to hug him and comfort him, but his main concern was keeping the distance between them. So he jerked his head towards the door instead.

“Go on in, Eds. I’ll be there in just a moment,” Richie told him. Eddie held Kyle’s glare for a moment before looking down and nodding. He slipped past Richie, and left the door an inch open.

“You’re fucking ridiculous, y’know? What do you guys have? Some kind of freaky dom-sub sex thing? I fucking knew he was cheating on me!” Kyle continued.

“God, shut the fuck up. Look, if you try and bother Eddie again, I’ll make sure you never see him again. Once you’re gone, I’m going to report you to the landlord and make sure you get charged the next time you set foot on this property. If you don’t stay away, next time I won’t even answer the door and I’ll just go straight to the cops. Leave Eddie alone, okay? Don’t bother him here. Don’t bother him at work, and for God’s sake, stop fucking making sock accounts on Instagram and don’t bother him online either! You’re fucking pathetic, dude,” Richie ranted. Kyle glared at him for a moment before sighing.

“Fine…but if I hear about you screwing him and you guys ending up together, don’t complain to me when he gets to be a fucking nuisance.”

Richie rolled his eyes at that and turned to walk back into his apartment without another word. That kind of comment didn’t deserve a response, and it was absurd too. Like Eddie would ever consider him for a moment. Eddie was too good, too pure, and Richie wasn’t even worth his time of day. The fact that they were even friends as close as they were was a blessing to Richie. Kyle was a fucking asshole.

“Richie, I’m so sorry he came here—“

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” Richie interrupted as Eddie stopped his nervous pacing and blinked up at him with watery eyes.

“It was totally uncalled for. I never thought he would come here. I feel so bad, a-and he tried to threaten you too, and—“

“Eds! Calm down, okay? He’s gone, and he’s not gonna come back. If he does, I’ll call the police and he’ll get his ass dragged out of here,” Richie assured him as he rubbed his arms and shoulders reassuringly. Eddie let out a heavy breath and leaned forward to rest his forehead on Richie’s shoulder.

“Thank you…I don’t know what I’d do without you right now,” he murmured. Richie pulled him into a hug and Eddie immediately fell into it.

“It’s okay, Eds. No need to thank me. I just want you to feel safe,” he cooed and stroked Eddie’s hair.

“You’re probably the only person in the world who _can_ make me feel safe,” Eddie confessed quietly. That made Richie’s heart hurt. If that was the case then why couldn’t he love him back? Richie shook that thought away and instead focused on holding him. “I’m so sorry he said that…th-that he implied that we would…he shouldn’t have said that.”

“Said what?”

“That we would end up together…” he whispered. Okay. That stung. He didn’t even like it when it was mentioned. “I just…I-I know that you’re straight, Richie. I don’t want you to feel like just because Kyle and I are gay that we assume you are too. I respect your sexuality is all, and…I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable,” Eddie explained further. Richie shrugged and let the hug go.

“I don’t care. It’s whatever. Clearly he was just trying to upset me, but the only thing that upsets me is the fact that he upset _you_ ,” he replied. Eddie’s face was flushed from his crying, and his eyes looked so much bigger and rounder with tears in them. Richie wanted to just wipe his tears away and kiss him.

“That’s…Richie, he called you worthless,” Eddie pointed out.

“And so have a bunch of other people. Do you see me crying over those people? I don’t because it’s a waste of time, Eds. He doesn’t matter anymore. He’s _trying_ to make you cry,” Richie assured him. Eddie sniffled and wiped his tears away.

“Fuck. You’re right. I shouldn’t let it get to me,” he sighed. Richie smiled and caved into his desire to hug him again. Eddie accepted it, and giggled a little as Richie swayed them back and forth.

“I think we still have some potstickers in the freezer. Wanna grill up some vegetables and have stir fry for dinner?” He suggested. Eddie nodded smiling wide, and Richie let him go.

“Yeah, that sounds really good actually,” he replied.

“Why are you home early anyways? Not that I’m complaining, but it’s definitely before five,” Richie said.

“Oh, I closed a really big deal with one of our clients today, so my boss insisted I leave a little early at the end of the day as a reward. I think she really likes me because I look like a twink,” Eddie told him. Richie laughed at that and walked into the kitchen to pull out ingredients from the fridge.

“I wouldn’t put it past her. Women love gay guys. Congrats on your deal though,” he said. Eddie pulled off his blazer and joined him in the kitchen while Richie set the vegetables on the counter. He pulled out a pan and oiled it as he started up the heat.

“Thanks. It was pretty big too. I’m surprised I was the one who closed it,” he said and pulled out a knife from the knife block. Richie carefully took the knife from him and took out the cutting board before chopping up their ingredients.

“I’m not surprised,” Richie replied. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“Whatever.”

“I mean it, Eds. I’m not surprised you’re the one who did it. You’re actually pretty amazing at your job. I know because of that time I dropped off your lunch last week your co-workers rolled their eyes at your name. The fact that they even _knew_ your name so quickly after your internship is one thing, but an _eye roll_ just screams jealousy,” Richie told him. Eddie laughed at that, and Richie smiled as he pushed the chopped up vegetables into the pan.

“I seriously doubt that. They still call me everything but my name there,” he replied.

“That’s just a tactic to make you feel like you’re not absolutely fucking amazing at your job. They know it, and you can tell because they have to know it to intentionally say a wrong name every single time,” Richie replied. Eddie smiled up at him for a while as he then reached for the pot stickers and added them to the mix. When he didn’t respond, Richie looked back at him and felt his heart stutter from the absolute adoration in Eddie’s eyes.

“You’re a really nice person, Richie,” Eddie said softly. His voice so fragile and sweet like spun sugar, and his eyes looking up at Richie like he was the reason the world could spin. Richie added way too many pot stickers into the stir fry, and quickly tipped the bag back up with red cheeks.

“Geez, spaghetti. I’m just telling you the truth,” he replied and quickly put the pot stickers away. Eddie giggled, and Richie would always love that sound no matter what. He grabbed the eggs and set them to the side as Eddie started to stir up the vegetables and let them cook.

“People don’t really do that nowadays,” Eddie said a little too forlorn for Richie to be okay with. He was quiet for a moment, wondering if he had the right to ask, and then cleared his throat.

“Did Kyle…did he seriously cheat on you?” Richie asked. Eddie paused his stirring for a moment, and then nodded before continuing as normal.

“Yeah…he went on this big trip for his internship at a different company. I only found out because he was still talking to the guy after he left and…they were sending nudes to each other,” Eddie explained. Richie wrinkled his nose in disgust and shook his head.

“That fucking bastard,” he grumbled.

“I should’ve known, honestly. He was so much more reserved after he came back, and he was always quote n’ quote ‘working late’. Everything was just so obvious after I found out,” Eddie said.

“When did you find out?” Richie asked.

“…a little less than a year ago,” Eddie admitted.

“And you _stayed_ with him for that long?” Richie asked incredulously. Eddie looked down and shrugged.

“I didn’t know what to do. Even then we were talking about possibly getting married. He said Joseph didn’t mean anything to him, and I though he was just…not fulfilled in the bedroom or something. Even when I tried to…improve that…four months later I found out he was still texting Joe on the side and I felt…so used,” Eddie said sounding more and more sad as he talked. Richie rubbed his back and Eddie leaned his head on Richie’s shoulder again. “I thought I really meant something to him, but…I think I was just something he liked to control.”

“You’re not something, Eds. You’re some _one_ who should be cherished at every fucking chance,” Richie told him. He was holding back tears himself. Hearing about someone treating Eddie like that was so heartbreaking and unbelievable. If he knew that was happening as it was happening, he would’ve taken Eddie into his home a lot sooner.

“Yeah, I guess…I guess he made me think about that differently. Instead of seeing him as the bad guy, I…I saw Joe as the bad guy, but…he was just as taken advantage of as me. He would just…use Joe to get off or to vent, and it took me a while to realize he was doing the same thing to me,” Eddie spoke quietly, but Richie could hear him loud and clear. He pulled Eddie into another hug, and the other man gratefully accepted it. The wooden spoon sunk into the pan, but Richie decided not to worry about it for now as he squeezed Eddie so close and so tight.

“You don’t deserve that, Eds. God, you’re my best fucking friend, and… _no one_ should treat you like that because you don’t fucking deserve it! You’re so amazing, Eds. I’m so sorry he put you through that,” he spoke into Eddie’s hair trying to resist the urge to kiss it. Eddie sobbed into his shoulder again and gripped the flannel across Richie’s back.

“I missed you so much. He made me spend so much time with him instead of my friends. Some nights I just wanted to come over and cook dinner with you and watch stupid TV shows just to hear you insult my taste in television,” Eddie cried. Richie stroked his hair and pressed his forehead against the top of Eddie’s head.

“Jesus, Eds. This guy was an entire asshole. Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” He asked. Eddie sniffled and hesitated.

“I just…I guess I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” he lied. Richie could tell it was a lie, but he didn’t press it. Eddie was already being terrorized by this awful man, so he didn’t feel the need to interrogate him for the real answer at the moment. Maybe another time though.

“Well it was, Eds. He had his hooks in deep, but I gotcha now, okay? I won’t let him hurt you again,” Richie promised and tucked Eddie’s head back into his neck. Eddie let go of the flannel and instead wrapped his arms around Richie’s waist. Richie then took the wooden spoon out of the pot and stirred it a little before putting the cover on and setting the spoon to the side.

“C’mon. Let’s pick out one of your awful shows,” Richie prompted. Eddie nodded and pulled away wiping at his face. “What should we watch?” He asked.

“Um…why don’t you pick actually? I wanna get changed, and…I’m not really in the mood for trash TV. Just pick one of the shows you’re watching and I’ll watch with you,” Eddie said looking down at his business uniform. Richie blinked and then nodded.

“Okay…sure, if you absolutely want that, I can do that,” he said. Eddie smiled up at him and gave him another quick hug.

“Thanks, Rich…I dunno what I’d do without you right now,” he said softly. Richie smiled back at him.

“Whatever you need, spaghetti.”


	4. Eddie’s insane amount of horny energy and jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie is the main reason this is explicit,,, lol

“Where did you put the leftovers from the other night?” Eddie called from the kitchen.

“Do you mean the chicken and rice? Or the stir fry?” Richie called back from the couch.

“The stir fry,” Eddie said looking through the fridge. It was Friday night and Richie had been home all day, so it was totally plausible that he ate it earlier. Eddie just changed out of his work clothes, and he wanted some comfort food after the long day he had.

“Uh, I think I put it in the drawer, but I dunno how much is left,” he said scratching the back of his neck. Eddie checked the drawer and sure enough, it was half empty with two pot stickers left. He huffed and decided it was better than nothing before picking it up and closing the door.

“There’s enough for now, but I might eat that chicken and rice later,” he said and opened the microwave. Richie gave a thumbs up.

“Sounds good to me! I usually suck at eating left overs, so I appreciate your help,” Richie told him. Eddie smiled and shook his head at that as his food heated up. He grabbed a fork, and then waited for the timer to go off.

“So you get every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off?” Eddie asked. Richie nodded.

“I usually have a gig on Friday’s and Saturday’s, but the next couple of weeks are gonna be slow since spring break ended. I’m actually usually writing more than doing stand up,” Richie told him. Eddie nodded.

“That’s really good, Rich. I’m proud of you,” he said. Richie peeked over the arm rest and smiled wide at Eddie.

“Gee, that sounds like something that would turn someone on,” Richie said. Eddie rolled his eyes and took his food out.

“I’m giving you a compliment, idiot,” he said and fully turned to face away from Richie.

Eddie wasn’t about to admit that he was trying to _seduce_ Richie, but he did think that maybe if he showed himself off a little…something might click inside that stupid little of his brain. It was high hopes, but if Richie walked up to him and pressed himself against Eddie’s shorts while whispering sweet things in his ear he wouldn’t complain. His experiment also gave him a good reason to actually wear his shorts again. Kyle didn’t like his lounge shorts because he said they were too girly, but Eddie just liked wearing as little as possible after spending all week in layers and layers of monkey suits. Usually he could only wear his short shorts when he was alone, but he knew Richie would never tell him what to wear. That’s what he loved about Richie so much. He didn’t care as long as Eddie was happy.

The TV had some weird fake talk show playing, and Richie didn’t seem to be super interested. He took up most of the couch by laying on it, so Eddie took his food to the lazy boy next to it. Unfortunately for Eddie, the lazy boy gave him an absolutely perfect view of Richie stretched out on the couch. He wore nothing but an old teeshirt from college, and a pair of loose boxers with the ugliest plaid pattern Eddie had ever seen. Still, it was a sight to see Richie so dressed down.

One of Eddie’s biggest dilemmas was his absolute feral thirst for his best friend. He hated the trope of gay guys coming onto their straight friends and trying to turn them, but he also hated the idea of repressing his thoughts for the sake of literally no one but himself. Richie couldn’t read his mind, so if Eddie wanted to day dream about his best friend fucking the daylights out of him, who would it hurt? He could struggle to control it, ultimately fail at it, and then feel awful about it. Or he could just accept that he was a horny bastard for Richie and indulge in his fantasies in peace. Not even Beverly fully knew just how fast Eddie would throw himself at Richie even if it was just an experiment and he still decided he was straight. God, the hours of pleasure that fantasy brought to Eddie. He could only get off in the shower now that they shared a bed, but it was worth feeling his tall lanky body pressed so close to his. Still, the lack of ability to relive himself only lead to an overactive imagination.

Eddie’s thoughts were interrupted when Richie laughed at the show for the first time since it started playing. He looked up to see his belly convulsing with his laughter, and he smiled at the sound. Richie really had a rather loud and obnoxious laugh, but it was also very attractive at the same time. His laugh was often the focus of Eddie’s fantasies. He desperately wanted to have sappy laughy sex with Richie like a couple. Soft smiles and relaxed eyes with just a hint of tension between them. Hands and fingers exploring as they pleased while they talked about stupid shit and kissed between subjects. The kind of sex that you never intend to have, but as the conversation continues everything escalates until suddenly Richie is stuffing his cock inside him and Eddie feels so fucking _full_ for once in his life. It was the kind of sex he would always try to reenact with his exes, but it never felt the same as his fantasies. Even when he imagined it was Richie in the moment, he knew that it wasn’t.

“God, this show is so fucking stupid, it’s funny,” Richie sighed. Eddie blinked out of his fantasy again and smirked before taking a bite of his food.

“Oh, I get why you like it now,” he said. Richie looked at him and raised a brow.

“Oh yeah?” He questioned. Eddie nodded. “How come?”

“Because that’s exactly why you’re funny,” he replied with a cheeky smile. Richie bit back his own smile and reached for the pillow at the opposite end of the couch. Eddie shielded himself before he could toss it, but it still hit him when Richie threw it.

“You’re such a little shit, Eds. If I didn’t love you unconditionally, you’d be /out/,” he said playfully. Eddie merely giggled and rolled his eyes.

“Whatever…”

All he wanted to do was retaliate, but his mind was so preoccupied by the idea of being on top of him. In a perfect world, Eddie would set his container down and just crawl onto his lap. He’d smile down at Richie, and Richie would smile back as he put his hands on his hips and let his eyes travel down Eddie’s body. That was something he knew would never happen, so he _wanted_ it so bad. The idea of Richie looking at him and liking what he saw. His eyes taking in all of his skin and struggling to think, speak, even breathe. His hands doing all the talking as he touched his waist, his ass, his thighs, under his shirt, play with his nipples, even push the fabric out of the way to lick them and bite them until Eddie was a crying panting mess on top of him. Their bodies so close to each other that he could _feel_ him. His cock so big and thick in his boxers pressing against Eddie’s. Fully erect and throbbing for him as he rolled his hips forward to rub them together. The sounds they would make together as they got off on each other.

“Hmm…” Eddie let out a quiet whine as he imagined it all happening, and realized very quickly that he _actually_ made a sound. He blushed bright red as he looked up to see Richie looking at him with concern.

“You okay? Was that like…are you in pain?” Richie asked. Eddie’s mind suddenly halted all of its dirty fantasies, and he panicked for a way out.

“Uh…k-kinda! I’ve been sitting all day. I-I should go for a quick little walk or something. Uh, maybe get the mail?” He suggested. Richie blinked at how panicked he sounded, but pointed to the key hook next to the door anyways.

“Sure, the key is on the far right,” Richie said. Eddie nodded and set the container down before rushing to the door. Thankfully any hardness he might’ve gotten was scared right out of him once he realized he fucking _whimpered_ out loud like an idiot. He quickly slipped on his sneakers and grabbed the key before leaving without another word.

“Fucking shit…” he sighed to himself as he walked down to hall. 

It was getting pretty late, so thankfully not a lot of people were out. He easily made it to the stairs and into the lobby before he got to the mail boxes tucked away from the front. As he walked in he scanned the rows for Richie’s apartment number, and finally found it towards the end. He unlocked it with ease and found a couple envelopes tucked away inside. He then took them out, and was about to close it when a girl walked in holding a pink envelope. She stopped at the door way, and Eddie raised a brow at her.

“Uh…hi,” he said.

“What are you doing in Richie’s mailbox?” She asked bluntly. He looked down at it and then back to her.

“Um…I’m getting the mail for him? Do I know you?” He asked. She sighed and shrugged.

“I doubt it. Richie never talks about me. He likes to keep me hidden,” she said pouting. Eddie furrowed his brows.

“Okay…uh, I’m gonna go now—“

“Could you please give this to him?” He hasn’t answered my calls all week, and I don’t know how else to reach out to him,” she requested walking closer and handing Eddie the pink envelope. It smelled strongly of roses, and Eddie was reluctant to take it.

“Uh…I’m sorry, who are you?” He asked.

“I’m Jasmine. Richie’s girlfriend,” she claimed proudly. Suddenly, Eddie _really_ didn’t want to take the letter. He raised his brow again.

“Sure, except Richie doesn’t have a girlfriend,” he replied. Her eyes bugged out and her lips pulled into a furious frown.

“He clearly does! I’m standing right here! We were just taking a break, but I’m ready to take him back now,” she explained. Eddie sighed.

“Well, clearly he must’ve forgotten you were on a break, so he’s definitely moved on,” Eddie told her.

“No he hasn’t! You just said he doesn’t have a girlfriend!”

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean he didn’t move on. Geez, will you chill?” Eddie scoffed. She shook her head and pushed the letter towards him again.

“Please, just give this to him. I need him to read it. I miss him so much, and I need him to understand why we took a break!” She pleaded. Eddie sighed again and then took the letter.

“Fine,” he said.

“Are you like, his friend or something?” She asked. Eddie gave her an annoyed look.

“I’m his best friend, actually. Which is why it’s weird that I don’t know who you are,” he replied bitterly. Jasmine rolled her eyes.

“Clearly you’re not as close as you think you are,” she said before walking off.

Eddie burned with anger as he watched her leave, and then waited for the front door to close before rushing up the stairs and walking back into the apartment. He locked the door behind him and hung up the key before tossing the letters across Richie’s chest.

“Whoa, uh…everything alright, Eds?” Richie asked as he took the letters. Eddie grabbed his container of food and walked past him into the kitchen to finish it. “Are we doing the silent treatment or something?” He continued as he sorted through his bills and spam. He then stopped when he got to the pink envelope and frowned.

“Who the fuck is Jasmine? Like, it’s not important for me to know, but I’m curious as to why she’s such a fucking bitch,” Eddie said rather bluntly. Richie sighed.

“Fuck, did she talk to you?” He asked sitting up to look at him. Eddie nodded and finished the rest of his food.

“Yeah, she said a lot of things. Why didn’t you tell me you have a girlfriend?” He questioned.

“I…don’t, Eds. She was just a hook up. I’ve been trying to tell her that since college,” Richie replied. Eddie burned with embarrassment. He suddenly felt stupid for believing anything that woman said.

“Oh…I guess…that would explain why you never mentioned her,” he murmured sheepishly. Richie chuckled.

“Yeah, if I did it was about how fucking crazy she is. She’s been trying to get me back for like three years,” he told him. Eddie crosses his arms and leaned back against the counter.

“And you just…decided not to date this conventionally attractive women with a perfect hourglass figure?” Eddie questioned. Richie looked surprised by that question and then frowned.

“Uh…yeah, basically. Is that…strange to you?” He asked. Eddie shifted uncomfortably.

“I dunno. It’s just…back in college you had _so_ many girlfriends, and…I dunno. I guess…I figured you didn’t care much about…like if they were at least _hot_ …I dunno.” Richie suddenly laughed loudly.

“Eds, are you trying to imply that you think I’m a slut?” Richie asked grinned. Eddie blushed and glared at him.

“Maybe! I dunno! You haven’t dated anyone recently! How am I supposed to know if you were just slutty in college!” He snapped. Richie laughed even harder and shook his head.

“Dude, everyone was a slut in college. That’s so fucking funny though,” he said. Eddie felt hot hearing Richie laugh so loud. Fuck his stupid fucking horny brain, he couldn’t keep it under control for one second, could he?

“Whatever…I’m gonna go…take a shower,” he said simply. Richie rolled over on the couch clutching his stomach as he continued to laugh.

“Sounds good, Eds. I’ll be out here doing nothing, just like a slut would do!” He cackled. Eddie bit back a smile and shook his head.

“God, shut up you fucking prick,” he said and shut the door.

Once Eddie was alone he flicked on the fan to hide the groan that left his lips. His brows furrowed and he pouted as all his fantasies from earlier poured back into his head, and he started to harden in his shorts. This was all so stupid. Richie was stupid. His laugh was stupid. The way Eddie couldn’t help but act like a bitchy jealous girlfriend was stupid. Richie’s smile was stupid, and his mouth, and his eyes, and his body was so so stupid.

Wanting to stay on track, Eddie turned on the water and stripped himself of his clothes. Just feeling the fabric glide off his skin turned him on, and he couldn’t stop imagining Richie ripping them off impatiently so he could get his hands on his skin. Those big strong hands of his desperately petting up and down his body as he kissed him until he couldn’t stand up straight. His lips were always so soft around his smile, and Eddie had been wanting to taste them for _years_ now. He could only imagine the range they had. Soft fluttery kisses up his neck, and deep hungry ones on his lips. If Richie could soothe his tears one minute and piss him off the next minute with those lips, he could only imagine what other things they were capable of.

“God, fucking stupid,” Eddie grumbled and stepped into the shower. 

The hot water only made him feel tighter, and he gave a soft groan before giving into his absolute insatiable desire for relief. He reached down to grab his dick, and stroked it slowly as he continued to imagine Richie kissing him. If only he could see him right now, and if only he would _like_ it. Fuck, if Richie was actually into men, Eddie hoped he would be his type. He hoped that Richie would like the way he looks, find it so arousing and irresistible he couldn’t stop himself from grabbing his body and shoving them together. The thing he craved the most in that moment was the feeling of Richie’s lips on his neck, his hands on Eddie’s waist, and his cock slipped right against the cleft of his ass. To hear him groan in his ear and hungrily rock his hips against him.

“Fuck…mmh,” Eddie moaned as quietly as he could as he arched his back against nothing. He wetted the fingers of his free hand, and then reached behind him to rub against his hole. Imagining Richie found that instead was almost too much.

Thinking about Richie being inside him while fingering himself was the quickest way to get himself off. Just the fantasy mixed with the stimulation was so overwhelming and hot that he would cum within minutes of it. He knew Richie had a big dick because of all the times they went skinny dipping in high school with the rest of the losers. Beverley and Eddie were the only ones who refused to take off their clothes, but Richie was always the first to rip off his shorts and parade around proudly. He was proud for good reason too. Eddie had yet to be with a man the rivaled the size of Richie’s dick flaccid, and he dreamed of the day he could see him full hard. It would probably never happen, but it made his legs tremble when he thought about it.

Pushing in a finger, Eddie had to stop stroking his dick so he could cover his moan. It wasn’t ideal without lube, but he could manage at least two fingers if he was desperate enough. Besides, it was all about the fantasy anyways. The idea of being fucked brainless rather than actually fucking himself brainless. He was still yet to push aside his shame long enough in the mornings when Richie was gone to pull out his lube, but if he had to be here longer than a month, then he might have to finally do it. That or he could leave his lube out, let Richie find it, and then confront him and use it on him himself. Now that was something to think about.

“Fuck, Richie…” Eddie gasped when he pushed up against his prostate. 

His legs shaking as he tried to control himself. It only took a couple tugs on his cock and a few pathetic whimpers before he was properly cumming down the drain. He shivered and he shook as he continued to over stimulate himself, and then eventually pulled his fingers out and caught his breath. After teasing himself for so long, it felt so good to get it out, but he always felt a little bit of shame for getting off so explicitly to his best friend. He tried to ignore it as he continued to wash himself off. 

Once he was clean he turned off the shower and toweled off. He wiped off the mirror and checked to see if he was still flushed from before. Thankfully with how hot the shower was, the pink on his cheeks didn’t look as suspicious as it could. He slipped his clothes back on and looked at himself. He touched his hips lightly and turned to look at his butt. It didn’t look like Jasmine’s, but he’s always been told he has a nice ass. Even by straight guys. He then briefly wondered if Richie thought he had a nice ass even though he was straight. He then rolled his eyes at himself and walked out of the bathroom.

“Jesus, how hot was the water?” Richie asked immediately. Eddie frowned and turned to see steam wafting from the bathroom.

“Oh…I dunno. Hopefully hot enough to burn off the germs,” he replied. Richie chuckled at that and switched his TV to his PC setting.

“Yo, wanna watch me kill all these fucking zombies?” He asked. He finally put enough space on the couch for Eddie to sit next to him, so Eddie took advantage of the space.

“Only if I get to play the next round and show you how to do it properly,” Eddie replied tucking his feet under him. Richie glanced over at him, and then did a double take as Eddie leaned on the armrest. Eddie raised a brow, but Richie’s eyes weren’t close to his. Instead they seemed to linger in Eddie’s legs. “Hello? Earth to Richie?” He said trying to get his attention. Richie blinked and then looked away with a nervous chuckle.

“Sorry, I just…have you been wearing those shorts the whole time? I thought you stopped wearing booty shorts in high school,” Richie commented. Eddie blushed a little, but stretched his legs out a little bit more. Richie looked again, but not for long before he pulled the automne closer and pulled out his gaming keyboard and mouth.

“I mean…yeah I’ve always had them. I put them on after I got home from work earlier. Kyle always said they were too girly, so I wore them less, but…I’ve always kept them. They’re comfortable,” he said. Richie smiled at that.

“More power to ya, Eds. I fully support your daisy dukes,” he teased and looked him in the eyes this time. Eddie rolled his eyes and used his foot to push at Richie’s legs.

“Whatever. I’ve actually had straight guys tell me they look good before,” Eddie bragged hoping it would either make Richie agree or make him jealous. Richie laughed a little.

“Of course they would. It doesn’t take a genius to tell that,” he said. Eddie blushed a little a tried to contain his smile.

“Well, theres always something kinda special about a straight guy complimenting a gay guy in a flirty way, but I guess you wouldn’t really get that,” Eddie replied. Richie was quiet for a moment before shrugging.

“I guess so…” he murmured. Eddie went quiet too, and then looked at the screen.

“Start the game already, dumbass.”


	5. Beverley’s night out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was just an excuse to write about boys in crop tops. I’m very gay so this was,,, good for me ;-;

Richie was ready to crawl up the fucking walls. The moment he noticed Eddie’s shorts he was reminded of the fact that he was very much physically attracted to Eddie _as well as_ hopelessly in love with him. He always knew that attraction was there, and it made high school confusing as hell in the summer time when Eddie wore nothing but shorts that stopped just below his ass cheeks. Now it was even more in his face because they were living together and sleeping together and spending pretty much every minute of free time together. First it was his boxers, but at least his boxers covered his entire ass. Those shorts…didn’t really do that, but Eddie said they were comfortable. Richie had no right to leer at him for simply trying to be comfortable, so he tried to keep himself on a leash. He was pretty successful…until Saturday rolled around and it was time to go out with Beverly.

“Honestly, Rich. Have you ever been to a gay club?” Eddie asked as he rummaged through his box of clothes. Kyle left a box of his stuff outside their apartment, and Richie was the one to volunteer to pick it up since he had no trust in Kyle to not be there to harass Eddie.

“Uh…I think once or twice during college. A girl I was dating was bi and thought it would be funny to take me,” Richie recalled as he paused his typing on his laptop. That night was so nerve wracking. All he could remember was trying not to get too drunk or flirt back with any guys no matter how cute they were.

“I don’t think that really counts,” Eddie sighed and then held up a pair of black leather shorts and then a pair of denim cut offs. “Which one?” He asked. Richie looked up and didn’t think of it as he nodded towards the black ones.

“Leather. Duh,” he replied. Eddie smiled at that and picked out a top.

“You should wear something fun too! Straight guys wear girly stuff all the time, and you’ll find it’s actually really fun,” Eddie prompted. Richie shrugged and returned to his script.

“Sure. Gimme a crop top and slap me with glitter,” he agreed.

“Really? Like actually?” Eddie asked sounding excited. Richie tried to hide his smile, but he couldn’t deny he love how cute Eddie sounded when he was happy.

“Why not? You’re stuck in monkey suits all week, so have at it. I’m your canvas, Eddie spaghetti,” Richie replied. 

He looked up in time to see Eddie biting his grin and going through his things. He always had a feminine side to him that he embraced ever since he left Derry. Richie found it really cute because it made him happy, but he didn’t like how people treated him like a stereotype just because he liked to wear glitter on the weekends. He’s seen the way boys and girls look at him when they went to college parties. The way they spoke to him was worse, and Richie’s protective side always came out. _He’s a boy and sometimes he likes to dress up and be girly and flamboyant. That doesn’t make him your fetish or your play thing._ Without hesitation, he would say that right to their faces when they went too far. Eddie usually got quiet when that happened, but he always thanked Richie once they were alone.

“You’d look so good with guy liner. I gotta find my pencil,” Eddie said as he found his makeup bag. Richie laughed at that.

“You mean like pop-stars in the eighties and nineties? Fuck yeah. I always wanted to try that,” he said. His script was more than abandoned in favor of watching Eddie pull out his pencils and glitters. He gathered his things and got up onto the bed. Richie set his laptop to the side and sat up.

“Exactly like them. Close your eyes,” he instructed. Richie smiled and did as he was told.

An hour later there was a knock on the door and Eddie had to pull his focus from Richie’s makeup. He bounced off the bed and hurriedly answered the door knowing who it was. While he was away greeting Beverly with a hug, Richie picked up a compact and checked out Eddie’s handy work. Smokey clouded his eyes and made the his blue color pop. Glitter and blush were spread all across his cheeks, and he had a heart drawn above his eyebrow. He smiled at it and looked up in time to see Beverly gasp at him with wide eyes.

“Oh my god, you turned him into a nineties e-boy!” She exclaimed. Eddie nodded with a proud grin and Richie smiled as well.

“I gotta say, I look pretty hot,” Richie said. Beverly nodded in agreement.

“Uh, fuck yeah you do. Give him a crop top and he’s golden,” she said.

“I would, but he’s like an entire shirt size bigger than me,” Eddie replied with a slight pout.

“Then let’s make one,” Beverly said simply. Richie blinked.

“Uh…”

“Just get a random teeshirt you don’t care much about,” she instructed. Richie pursed his lips and got up to his closet. He pulled out an old band tee from high school and held it out to her. “Put it on. I’ll grab some scissors.”

Another hour passed and Richie was finally dressed. Eddie was getting ready while he and Beverly prepared pregame shots in the kitchen. She told Richie that Ben and Stan would be meeting them there, and he nodded with enthusiasm. Eddie could use all the support he could get right now, so he liked the idea of more losers going tonight. They had their first shots together, and when Eddie joined them Richie nearly choked on his second one. He walked out in the leather shorts Richie picked out, and paired it with some sneakers and a crop top as well. Glitter was sprinkled across the tops of his cheek bones, and he had one of Richie’s flannels layered on top. He walked over as if he wasn’t the cutest thing Richie had ever seen, and promptly took his first shot.

“Eddie, sweetheart, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you look like a lesbian,” she told him. He smiled wide at that and held up the plaid fabric.

“It’s the flannel, isn’t it?” He questioned. Beverly nodded.

“Definitely. Very nice touch,” she winked. Richie quickly poured himself a third shot and knocked it back. He sighed and nodded as well.

“Yeah, looks kinda familiar,” he said and filled Eddie’s glass. He giggled at that and blushed a little.

“I mean…it was there, and I thought it would look cute,” he replied.

“Well you were right, so I guess I’ll let it pass for tonight,” Richie said finally meeting his eyes. Eddie smiled at that and held his stare for a moment before taking his shot. Beverly fanned herself and whistled.

“I’ll call the Uber before it gets any stuffier in here. Can only control myself for so long between two hotties,” she joked and walked to the couch to pull out her phone. Richie and Eddie laughed at that, and both moved closer to fill the gap Beverly left.

“I think the shorts really make it, though,” Richie said looking down at the leather. Eddie bit his lip and poured himself a third shot.

“Yeah? You think so?” He asked. Richie nodded and let himself look a little further at his bare legs.

“I mean, I was born to be a fashion designer,” he said. Eddie laughed and Richie watched him knock back his third shot.

“No more! We’re getting smashed at the club!” Beverly called from the couch. Richie chuckled and nodded as he took the vodka and capped it.

“Gotcha.”

The Uber came relatively quickly, so they all rushed downstairs to climb into it. The club wasn’t far, but it was far enough that walking wasn’t worth it to Bev. Richie took one look at her shoes and had to agree with her. They were all a little squished in the back of the car, and Richie couldn’t tell if it was pure torture or pleasure to feel Eddie’s warm thigh pressed so close to his own. He decided it was pleasure when Eddie laid his hand on Richie’s knee and nervously dug his fingers into the seem of his jeans. When they got out Ben and Stan were already inside by the bar. Beverley lead them right to their friends, and Richie instantly greeted Stan with a hug.

“I’m so glad to see you!” Richie exclaimed as he patted Stan’s back. Stanley nodded.

“Good to see you too, Rich,” he replied.

“Eddie, you’re looking good,” Ben said. Eddie beamed at his friend.

“Thank you! I stole Richie’s flannel,” he said proudly. Ben laughed at that and Richie reached over to mess with his hair.

“I don’t want any puke on it, alright?” Richie said. Eddie pawed at his hand and laughed.

“No promises!”

“Speaking of puke, lets get fucking drunk!” Beverly shouted over the music. They all shouted in agreement and ordered their drinks.

In all honesty, it wasn’t much different from a straight club or bar. The music was exponentially better, and the drinks were fruitier with funny names. Everyone was dressed better, and there was a more infectious energy to the crowd. It was very easy to get drunk since every mix drink had about three shots stuffed into it. One cocktail in and Richie was already feeling his buzz turn into a blitz. He had a pretty high tolerance from being raised by Wentworth Tozier, so he was giggly at the most as he danced with Eddie and Beverly on the dance floor. It took him a moment to remember he actually was at a gay club, and when he did he just giggled harder.

“What’s to funny?” Beverly asked shouting in Richie’s ear.

“I’m drunk at a gay club!” He replied. 

They all laughed together and Richie felt Eddie’s hand on his hip. It was probably accidental, but he kept it there because Eddie was touchy when he was drunk. Richie smiled down at him and danced a little closer. He laughed louder as Richie moved his hips suggestively and guided his second hand to his other hip. Beverly laughed and pulled out her phone to take pictures as Richie threw a peace sign up at the camera and Eddie pressed his cheek to Richie’s chest.

“You guys are too cute!” She said.

“Does anyone else want to get drunker?” Richie asked. Both Beverly and Eddie nodded and Richie pulled back. “I’ll get us more drinks! You guys stay here and look cute!” He said heading back to the bar. They had lost Stan and Ben a little while ago, but he had assumed they just stuck to the bar since they were much of dancers. He thought he saw Stan talking to the bartender and patted his shoulder as he walked up to him.

“Hey, can I get three tequila sunrises? Thanks,” he said reaching for his wallet.

“Well hello there, stranger.”

Richie sobered up a little when he realized the voice attached to the man he was touching didn’t belong to Stan. He quickly removed his hand and chuckled nervously as he pulled out his cash to hand to the bartender. Getting a good look at his face, it was very obvious that it wasn’t Stan.

“Sorry, man. I thought you were my friend,” he said. The other man merely smiled and looked him up and down.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind it. You can even touch me again if you like,” he replied. Richie blinked, and then finally registered the fact that this man was flirting with him.

“Uh…that’s okay. I’m not really interested,” he said honestly and smiled when the bartender handed him his order. Richie smiled and started to pick them up when the man held out his hand.

“My names Corey, by the way. Maybe I can change your mind,” he said sounding hopeful. Richie laughed nervously and then shook his head.

“Sorry, I’m here with—“

“Baby!” 

Baby?

Before Richie could turn his head towards the source of the familiar voice, his face was grabbed and pulled down. He felt soft lips on the corner of his mouth, and blinked down as Eddie grinned up at him. When he finally connected the dots that Eddie fucking Kaspbrak, his best friend whom he was in love with, just kissed him he almost completely shut down. He could only stare at him in shock as he kissed his cheek and then his jaw.

“Baby, stop acting so surprised every time I kiss you! It’s been a week now since we’ve been together,” he said before reaching for his drink. Richie blinked and then wrapped his arm around Eddie’s waist.

“Him! I’m here with him,” Richie said remembering what he was trying to say. The other man, Corey smiled and nodded.

“Understood. Sorry, I didn’t know I was stepping on someone else’s toes,” he said and nodded to Eddie.

“Apology accepted. Now, c’mon. Beverly is waiting for us,” Eddie said grabbing the extra drink. Richie took his own and nodded in goodbye to Corey as he was dragged back to the dance floor.

From that point on, Eddie was all over him. He made it very clear to everyone who looked at them that Richie wasn’t available. At first it made Richie a little nervous, but then Eddie was running his fingers through his hair and swaying his hips incredibly close and he couldn’t have ask for a more euphoric feeling. Richie was entranced by him. He couldn’t take his eyes away from Eddie’s body and watch how freely he moved it. He eventually tied Richie’s flannel around his hips instead, and then guided Richie’s hands to hold them as well. Never in his life had Richie been quite so enamored by Eddie before, and it all had to do with the attention he was giving to Richie. The smiles, the laughs, and the way he touched Richie’s shoulders and down his chest. It was electrifying, and Richie wanted nothing more but to stay this close to Eddie for the rest of their lives.

Eventually, Eddie got super fucking drunk. He was only a little bit of a lightweight when he wanted to be, and boy did it all hit him like a truck when he wanted to go home. His smiles turned into pouts, and he hung off of Richie instead of danced with him. Richie found it incredibly endearing and told Beverly that they were gonna head home. She nodded in response, and they quickly found Stan and Ben at the other side of the bar. Richie called himself an Uber, and Beverly decided to stay with the others while Eddie whined into Richie’s armpit. He almost fell asleep in the actual Uber, and when they burst through the door of their apartment he was giggly again.

“That was so much fun,” Eddie grinned as he stumbled onto the couch. Richie chuckled in agreement and set down his wallet and keys.

“Yeah, Bev sure knows how to have a good time,” he said. Eddie nodded in agreement and shed Richie’s flannel to the floor.

“I _love_ dancing with you,” he hummed happily as he laid back on the cushions. Richie smiled at that and walked over to sit in the lazy boy. Eddie pouted at that and patted the spot next to him. “Come here…” Richie sighed and then got up to join him on the couch.

“Better?” He asked. Eddie immediately smiled again and nodded before wrapping himself around Richie’s arm and nuzzling his shoulder.

“Much better.”

“Good. I live to make your life better,” Richie replied more truthfully than he’d like to admit. Eddie lifted his head to look up at Richie and frowned a little.

“I’m sorry about…earlier,” he murmured. Richie frowned as well.

“What do you mean?” He asked. Eddie sighed and moved his arm over Richie’s chest to hug him completely.

“Back with that guy, I just…I could tell he was making you uncomfortable. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable too. It was just like…the fastest way I could think of to get him to back off,” Eddie explained. Richie thought back to that interaction and licked his lips at the memory of Eddie kissing down the side of his face.

“Oh…I mean, I wasn’t upset. I knew that you weren’t trying to take advantage of me,” Richie told him. Eddie nodded.

“Exactly! I was just trying to help, but I know you’re straight and I respect that. I /hate/ it when gay guys talk about turning straight guys. It’s so gross,” Eddie complained as he pouted again. Richie chuckled a little and lifted his arm to wrap around Eddie.

“I trust you, Eds. Thanks for thinking of me,” he said. Eddie smiled and touched Richie’s chest a little.

“It’s a shame though…sometimes I wish you were gay,” he murmured. Richie froze. He stopped drinking after his tequila sunrise, but Eddie had at least three more shots after that in various cocktails.

“Yeah?” Eddie nodded and hummed against his chest. His eyes slowly slid shut and his breathing slowed. “Why’s that?”

“Because…hmm…because you’re just _so_ hot sometimes,” he sighed. He snuggled closer and nuzzled under Richie’s chin. Richie in the other hand was bright red.

“I’m…hot?” He questioned. Eddie giggled tiredly and nodded again.

“Oh yeah. If you were gay…mmh…” he giggled some more. “This is a secret, you can’t know,” he slurred.

“Then go to sleep dummy,” Richie replied. He couldn’t help but smile at how cute Eddie was when he was drunk and drowsy.

“It’s a secret, but I kinda want you to know. It’s like a little secret. I mean…every gay guy would totally be down to fuck their straight best friend,” he murmured.

His voice dangerously low and close to Richie’s ear. He bit his lip and ran his fingers through Eddie’s hair. That only made him give out a cute little moan and nuzzle his neck again. Still, as cute as it was, it kinda hurt to hear that Eddie’s only attraction to Richie was sexual. If he told Eddie he was gay…the best he could get would be friends with benefits. He’d rather just be friends than be a benefit to the love of his life.

“Eds, you’re drunk,” Richie cooed.

“Mm…yeah…but even when I’m sober…hmm…I’d let you do anything you wanted to me,” Eddie murmured. Richie clenched his jaw and tightened his grip in Eddie’s hair. Eddie whimpered and Richie sighed before gently pulling him off and standing up. He blinked up at Richie with tired eyes, and Richie held out his hand.

“C’mon. Let’s get you washed up and into bed, okay?” Richie said softly. Eddie smiled and then nodded taking his hand.

“Okay.”


	6. Richie’s ex boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lol chapter 6 of 9
> 
> I need to update the tags but they smoke weed in this chapter

What’s worse than waking up to a bad break up is waking up to a bad hangover. The minute Eddie regained consciousness he regretted it. Pain pulsed through his head and his entire body, and he instantly craved a tall glass of water. Thankfully the room was dark when he opened his eyes, and he was immediately met with the sight of Richie uncapping a bottle of Advil and a cup on the nightstand. He pushed himself up and groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“He lives,” Richie said pouring out a couple tablets and holding them out. Eddie accept them, and then accepted the cup Richie handed next. He knocked back the pills and chugged the rest of the water before handing it back to Richie.

“I’m going to throw up by the end of the day,” he warned.

“Ooh, I believe it, bud,” Richie replied with a smile.

“How are you not on the floor dying right now?” Eddie asked rubbing his head.

“Well, you drank more than me, I have a higher alcohol tolerance, and I’m physically bigger than you so I can naturally handle more alcohol than you,” he listed. Eddie glared at him and shook his head.

“I hate you,” he replied and started to get up. Richie moved out of the way and let him walk out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. There was already a breakfast sandwich prepared for him on a plate, and he smiled at it when he picked it up off the counter.

“So, I actually have a standup gig tonight, so I’m gonna he leaving around nine. Do you think you’ll be okay by then?” Richie asked walking past him to finish his own sandwich.

“What time is it now?” Eddie asked.

“Almost three.” He nodded.

“I’ll try to throw up before then,” he murmured. He then made a smoking gesture. “You got weed?” He asked.

“Uh, I don’t think so. Why? Does it help you get over hangovers?” He questioned. Eddie nodded.

“Bev usually comes over with a joint the day after we party, but if she hasn’t dropped by yet I don’t wanna wait,” he said.

“Well, I think she might be having a worse hangover than you are right now. She stayed pretty late,” Richie told him.

“She did? I thought we all left together…”

“Eds, I think your memory got funky.”

“Maybe…”

“What do you remember last?” Richie asked.

“Uh…we danced…and then we were in the Uber…and then I was in bed,” Eddie struggled to recall details, but he knew he got home safely with Richie.

“Okay…anything else? Anything specific?” Eddie shook his head.

“No…you might be right,” he said. Richie chuckled and nodded.

“Probably. I have enough time to stop at the dispensary though, so I’ll let you finish that while I go do that,” Richie said. Eddie smiled at that.

“Okay. Can you get something for pain?” He requested. Richie shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth and then nodded.

“Yup! You wanna smoke or eat?”

“Smoking hits faster,” Eddie sighed.

“Smokes it is then. I’ll be right back,” Richie replied and walked out of the kitchen to grab his things. Eddie watched with a smile as his best friend gathered his keys, his wallet, and his coat before walking out the door.

“Be safe!” Eddie called. Richie smiled at him.

“I’ll do my best, spaghetti,” he said and closed the door behind him.

With that Eddie was alone in the apartment. One of his first urges was to jerk off, but he figured Richie wouldn’t be gone that long. The closest weed shop was probably within walking distance since Richie didn’t mention anything about calling an Uber or driving. He then sighed and brought his food to the couch where he could turn something on. His eyes skimmed his options as he opened up Hulu, and eventually settled on _Say Yes to the Dress_. Within the first episode he finished his sandwich, and when the second one started he got up to get himself more water. He went back to sit down, but before he could there was a knock at the door. A part of him was tempted to leave it, but he figured it was just a neighbor he could deter in a few minutes by saying Richie wasn’t home. He opened the door and looked up at a guy with curly blond hair and wide confused eyes.

“Uh…I’m sorry, I thought this was Richie’s apartment,” he said. Eddie blinked and then nodded.

“It is. Richie Tozier?” He clarified. The guy nodded.

“Yeah, uh…is he…?”

“He’ll be back soon. Can I help you?”

“Sorry, I just…who…are you? I thought he lived alone?” He questioned.

“Uh, I’m Eddie. I live with him now,” he replied a little on the defensive side. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. The other guy scoffed a little and pressed his lips into a tight smile.

“Okay…I guess…I guess I get it,” he said. Eddie raised a brow at him.

“You…get what?” He asked.

“I get what he meant when he fucking…” he sighed and shook his head. “Tozier really is a piece of work.”

“I’m sorry, but who are you? And what are you talking about?” Eddie asked.

“Sorry, it’s just…I finally understand now that when Richie said he couldn’t date a man, he really meant he couldn’t date _me_. And like, I’m not trying to ruin what you have with him, it’s just kinda hard to face that, y’know?” The guy explained blinking back tears. Eddie blushed and frowned feeling sympathetic.

“Oh…I’m sorry. Uh…did you want to talk to him? I can tell him you stopped by?” Eddie offered. He sniffled and shook his head.

“It’s fine. I was just going through my things recently, and I found his old teeshirt from college. I thought I would surprise him, but it’s pretty clear that he’s moved on,” he said pulling out a folded shirt from his jacket pocket. He handed it to Eddie and he accepted the shirt.

“What…if you don’t mind…what…happened between you guys?” He asked. He shrugged.

“I’m not sure anymore. I thought…y’know, we were flirting for a while, and then we hung out a little. We seemed to get along pretty well, and then we got drunk and…I lost my virginity to him, man. Then he just said he can’t date guys, and I just…I felt so used,” he said very obviously trying not to cry. Eddie was completely shocked by this new information.

“Oh…oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Eddie said softly. The guy shook his head.

“It’s fine, really. I mean…as long as you make him happy, I’m okay with it. It wasn’t fun to go through, but…I hoped he would fucking come to his senses and realize he’s gay, y’know? It’s just so sad to see someone stuff themself into the closest so much,” he explained and then sighed. “Anyways. Just…tell him Connor dropped that off, and…have a nice day.”

“Uh…okay. Goodbye, Connor,” Eddie said. Connor nodded and then smiled before walking off and wiping his face. 

Eddie closed the door and leaned his back against it. He took a deep breath, and held the shirt to his chest. Richie…experimented in college. He had sex with a man during college…and he never told Eddie about it at all. His mind was going all over the place as he gripped the shirt tighter and tighter with each moment. If Richie has sex with a man, that meant he probably came to a conclusion after that. But Richie hasn’t dated anyone _since_ college. In fact he hasn’t even really _talked_ about the type of person he would date since college. Connor apparently thought Richie was gay, but was that just hopeful thinking? Is gaydar really a thing? He couldn’t tell.

Apparently Eddie had been thinking against the door for a while because he suddenly felt it push against him. He yelped and jumped away as Richie opened the door and walked in with a confused but amused smile. He wiped his feet off on the mat and looked down at the shirt in Eddie’s arms.

“Hey, what’s that?” He asked. Eddie froze for a moment, and then shook his head to clear it. He then handed it to him.

“Uh, some guy named Connor just dropped this off for you. He said he knew you in college,” Eddie told him. Richie seemed to stiffen at the sight of the shirt and the sound of his name, but smiled and accepted it.

“I was wondering where I put that. Thanks spaghetti,” he said and tossed it onto the counter. “C’mon, I got them pre rolled. I hate rolling them myself.”

“Um…before we do that…uh…”

“What’s up? Is everything okay?” Richie asked. Eddie looked at him with wide eyes, and Richie frowned. “Did he…did he say something to you?”

“Rich, why didn’t you tell me you experimented in college?” He asked softly. Richie suddenly looked overcome with shame. His entire body seemed to drop, and his eyes immediately filled with fear. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. So he just stood there with his mouth open. “Richie?”

“I just…I…it didn’t seem important,” he spat out. Eddie frowned at that.

“Richie, of course it’s important. You’re my _best friend_. I just…I wish you would’ve told me. I would’ve supported you and talked with you if you needed it,” Eddie told him. 

Richie closed his mouth and shrugged off his jacket. He then walked past Eddie and got a cup from the kitchen. He then filled it with water and started to drink, but Eddie could see the tremor in his hand. He frowned, and then walked over to hold Richie’s free hand, but it was immediately tugged out of his grasp. Eddie couldn’t stop the hurt that flickered across his face, and Richie immediately looked guilty.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry—“

“No, it’s okay. I understand—“

“I just—“

“Richie, it’s no big deal. If you don’t wanna be touched right now, that’s fine,” Eddie assured him and gave him some space. Richie gripped the handle to the fridge instead and let out a heavy sigh.

“Fuck…” he groaned and took another drink.

“Connor, he…he said you guys only hooked up once, and that…you said you couldn’t date guys. I…I just want you to know that just because you tried guys and then decided it wasn’t for you, that doesn’t make you any less… _you_ , okay? You were just experimenting! And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Eddie assured him. Richie gnawed on his lower lip and nodded.

“I…yeah…that’s exactly what happened,” he murmured. It didn’t sound right leaving his lips, but Eddie didn’t want to doubt him.

“Look, I just…I didn’t feel right knowing that and then you not knowing that I knew that. Also, I’ll admit I’m hurt you didn’t tell me yourself,” Eddie said. Richie nodded.

“That’s understandable, Eds. I’m real sorry,” he said softly. Eddie smiled, hoping to make Richie smile back. He didn’t.

“Why don’t we smoke, okay? I just didn’t wanna be fucked up when I told you, but we can smoke now if you want. Why don’t we watch that one show you were watching the other night? I thought it was kinda funny,” Eddie suggested. Richie nodded slowly, and then walked back to his jacket to pull the tubes containing their joints out of the pocket.

“This one…is for you, and this one is for me,” he said handing Eddie his own tube. He popped it open as Richie grabbed his lighter from the counter, and then went to Richie’s room so they could open the window.

It took a while before Richie seemed like himself again. He only took a few hits off his joint since he was working later that night, but he laid back and watched Eddie smoke his own once he was done. A smile eventually spread across his lips as Eddie started to get giggly, and Eddie smiled back when he realized Richie was happy again. He got halfway through his joint before putting it out and tucking it back into its tube, and then they both left the bedroom to watch the show Eddie suggested.

“Fuck, you were watching say yes to the dress?” Richie teased. Eddie giggled and then nodded as he smushed himself against Richie’s side.

“Of course. I like to imagine that I’m a straight white rich woman sometimes,” Eddie replied. Richie barked a laugh at that, and Eddie leaned his head on his shoulder. Richie lifted his arm and wrapped it around Eddie, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of deja vu as he did. He blinked at the screen and then remembered being in this exact position last night. “We cuddled like this last night,” Eddie hummed pleasantly. Richie chuckled.

“Fuck, you were so fucking drunk last night. You told me you’d hook up with me if I was gay,” he told him. Eddie blushed and shook his head.

“You’re pulling my leg,” he denied. Richie laughed again.

“I _wish_. Dude, you were so out of it slurring your words and shit. You said you’d let me do anything I’d like,” he insisted. Eddie bit his lip.

“Maybe I should’ve told you that in college and you would’ve,” he murmured. Richie giggled a little at that, but got quiet quickly. Eddie then felt guilty and pushed himself up to frown up at him with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry, that was too soon, huh?”

“I…Eds…even if I…look, I never…I never wanted to use you as an experiment, okay? You mean too much to me. I love you too much just to…just to do it and be done,” Richie said. Eddie nodded.

“I love you too, Rich,” he whispered, hoping his true feelings didn’t bleed through. Richie sighed and leaned his head back, and Eddie wanted more than anything to comfort him and hold him and give him everything he needed.

“You’re really special to me, Eds. I didn’t…I didn’t want anything to change between us, so that’s why I never told you,” he confessed. Eddie nodded.

“And this _won’t_ change things. I promise you. If anything, I’ll just tease you about it when it’s not so sore anymore,” Eddie assured him. Richie bit back a laugh, but ultimately failed at it. Eddie giggled with him. “What? What is it?”

“…Connor was really sore once I was done with him,” Richie said trying not to laugh again. He only laughed louder, and Eddie laughed with him.

“I feel so bad for Connor! He thought we were together!” Eddie gasped. Richie laughed again.

“God, he was so fucking clueless! He thought I was flirting with him, but I was just trying to be nice!” Richie cackled. Eddie dissolved into a pile of giggles and buried his face into Richie’s neck.

“Oh my god! That’s so mean!”

“How is that mean! He was the one who misinterpreted it!”

“Richie you totally broke his heart!” Eddie said still laughing as he looked up. 

Their eyes met and Richie was looking at him with such adoration he blushed. His giggles slowed to a stop, but Richie had stopped laughing for a while as he just looked at Eddie. He blushed deeper the longer he looked, and then he looked away shyly. He pushed his hair away from his face, and when he looked back Richie was still watching him.

“What? What are you looking at?” He asked. Richie smiled again before cupping Eddie’s face. His hand was so warm against his cheek, and Eddie couldn’t help but automatically lean into it.

“I’m looking at you,” he replied. Eddie smiled a little and touched the hand on his cheek.

“Why? Is there something wrong with my face?” He teased. Richie chuckled, but shook his head.

“No, you’re just…cute,” he murmured. Eddie blushed even harder and then used Richie’s hand to hide his face. “No, don’t hide it! I said it’s cute!”

“You’re embarrassing me!” Eddie whined and pouted, but eventually smiled again as he let Richie hold his cheek. Richie rolled his eyes and then used his thumb to caress the soft skin. He touched over his freckles and followed the path he made with his eyes. Eddie bit his lip and let his eyes close.

“Are you sleepy?” Richie asked. Eddie shook his head lightly.

“Feels good,” he murmured. Richie chuckled, and Eddie warmed up at the sound. It was so hearty and deep. So genuine and happy that it made Eddie want him even more. They were both overly affectionate when they were high, but Richie wasn’t nearly as far gone as Eddie.

“You have really soft skin,” Richie hummed.

“It’s from all the facials,” Eddie said.

“I didn’t know you got facials,” Richie replied. Eddie opened one eye and smiled, and that was when Richie caught on and laughed. “Oh, I get it. You mean the _fun_ kind of facials,” he said. Eddie laughed with him and nodded.

“Yeah, that kind,” he mumbled. Richie licked his lips and then softly bit them as he stroked Eddie’s cheek again. He then trailed his thumb down until he held his jaw and ran his thumb over Eddie’s lower lip.

“…that’s kinda hot,” Richie said. Eddie blushed again and let Richie touch his top lip too.

“What is?” He asked quietly.

“You getting a facial,” Richie answered immediately. Eddie furrowed his brows.

“Me?” He questioned. Richie blinked slowly.

“I mean…facials. Facials are hot,” he rephrased. Eddie giggled a little, and Richie smiled.

“Yeah, they’re pretty hot.”

“Yeah…but also…you getting one sounds hot too,” Richie nodded. Eddie hummed in agreement.

“I like it. It feels good too.”

“Does it? I’ve never…done it or gotten it,” Richie confessed. Eddie bit his lip and nodded.

“I like watching the other guy. When he’s feeling his best. Knowing I’m the reason he’s cumming,” Eddie whispered as he slid his hand up Richie’s chest. Richie’s thumb had returned to stroking his cheek, but his eyes never left Eddie’s mouth. “It’s even better when he’s cumming _just_ from my mouth. It’s like an ego thing. My head is just _so_ good he can’t keep it in,” Eddie continued. As he spoke Richie’s eyes only seemed to get hazier. He blinked, and then smiled as he tilted his head.

“Well, you’ve always had one hell of a mouth on you,” Richie teased. Eddie lightly slapped his chest and rolled his eyes.

“You fucking asshole. Like you have any room to speak,” he retaliated. Richie laughed. His arm that was around Eddie’s shoulders moved down to his waist, and Eddie immediately arched into it. That prompted Richie to slid his hand up the curve of Eddie’s spine, and smirk when Eddie curled his fingers into Richie’s shirt.

“You’re blushing,” Richie pointed out. Eddie shrugged.

“‘M just warm…you’re warm,” Eddie said.

“Y’know you answered the door in nothing but your boxers and my teeshirt? No wonder Connor thought we’re together,” Richie replied. Eddie snorted.

“Well aren’t you Mr. Observant right now.”

“I’m just saying…I’d be jealous too if I saw some other guy wearing your shirt,” Richie hummed. Eddie grinned at that.

“You would?” He questioned. Richie nodded. “I don’t believe you.”

“How come?”

“Because that would never happen.”

“Bullshit. Happened all the time,” Richie scoffed. Eddie furrowed his brows.

“When?”

“When you lived with Kyle. You always answered the door in his stupid anime teeshirts,” Richie said borderline whining. Eddie paused for a moment.

“You were jealous of Kyle?” Eddie asked. Richie shrugged.

“He kinda kept you to himself,” his voice was starting to get defensive, and Eddie immediately had the urge to soothe him. He used the hand not on Richie’s chest to reach back and play with the curls on his nape.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t realize how much of my time he took,” he whispered. Richie frowned and looked him in the eyes before looking at his lips and then looking away.

“You don’t need to apologize. At the time…you looked happy. I thought he was treating you right…as long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” Richie assured him. Eddie moved a little closer, and Richie returned his eyes to the other man.

“I’m always happy with you, Rich,” Eddie whispered. Richie smiled.

“I’m happy with you too, Eds,” he replied. Eddie smiled back and ran his fingers through Richie’s hair again.

“I never told anyone because…I thought he would get better. He was totally different when we first—“

“I don’t wanna talk about Kyle,” Richie interrupted. Eddie blinked.

“No?” Richie shook his head.

“No…”

“What…what do you wanna talk about then?” Eddie asked.

He let out a stuttering breath when he realized how much closer they had gotten. Their mouths within inches of each other, and their bodies pressed together tightly. Richie’s hand stroked down Eddie’s spine, and then pushed back up against his shirt. Eddie shivered closer as his skin was exposed, and Richie used the hand on his cheek to ever so slightly tilt his head. Or maybe Eddie tilted it himself. Either way, his head was tilting to fit his lips perfectly with Richie’s, and his heart was racing as he dug his fingers into Richie’s shirt. Just as their lips were about to touch, Richie’s phone went off in his pocket, and Eddie jerked his head back.

“Fuck,” Richie sighed and rubbed his eyes. Eddie pulled himself further away from Richie and laughed nervously.

“Geez, how much did we smoke?” He said off handedly as Richie reached for his phone. He chuckled himself and then answered the call.

“Hey…at eight? Uh…yeah, I can do that…yeah I’d just need to leave a little earlier…sure…okay, sounds good. See you then.” Richie then hung up and looked over at Eddie. “That was the manager…she went over my resume and noticed I was in tech theater in high school, so she asked if I could come in a little earlier to help set up,” he said. Eddie nodded.

“That’s cool,” he murmured.

“I’d have to leave at like…six thirty?”

“What time is it now?” Eddie asked. Richie checked his clock.

“Five twenty,” he answered.

“We should probably make some dinner then,” Eddie suggested. Richie nodded.

“Yeah…probably.”


	7. the wretched game of truth or dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is when shit hits the fan tbh.
> 
> Next chapter is extra long final, and after that is a little epilogue

“Richieeeeeeeee,” Beverly whined over the phone.

“Yes, honey?” He replied as he stirred the honey into his and Eddie’s tea.

“You and Eddie need to come over tomorrow night,” she begged. Richie hummed and rapped the spoon on the edge of the mug.

“I dunno. Eddie is still recovering from his hangover,” he said. Eddie threw up his middle finger from the couch and Richie chuckled as he grabbed his mug.

“We’re not gonna get wasted like last weekend, okay? It’s a Friday night, and it’s been a while since we all hung out together,” Beverly insisted. Richie sighed as he walked over to hand Eddie his tea.

“What do you think, Eds? In the mood for a gang hang out?” He asked.

“Eddie say yes! Richie is being an ass!” Beverly shouted. Richie held the phone away from his ear, but Eddie could hear her the entire time. He smiled at took a sip of his drink.

“I think it could be fun,” he said. Richie groaned and turned back to his own mug.

“Fine. I guess I’ll share Eddie with the rest of you guys,” he said and drank his own tea. Eddie took a long gulp of his tea, and Richie tried not to watch his throat as he swallowed, but he was definitely failing at that.

“Perfect! I get off of work around four, so you guys can come over anytime after that,” Beverly told him. Richie finally looked away from Eddie’s neck once he stopped chugging hot tea, and cleared his throat.

“Sounds good. I’m off on Fridays, but Eds doesn’t get home until six-ish,” Richie replied.

“That’s okay. Just bring a six pack and I’ll forgive you for your crime,” she teased. Richie laughed and set his mug down.

“Alright. Just for you, Miss Marsh,” he agreed. Eddie smiled happily into his warm tea, and Richie smiled back at him.

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Love you.”

“Love you too, Bev,” he said and then hung up. Eddie took another drink and watched Richie as he abandoned his mug in favor of sitting with him on the couch.

“So. Losers club meeting tomorrow?” Eddie asked. Richie nodded.

“Do you wanna change clothes before we go, or should I pick you up from work?” Richie asked.

“You could pick me up from work and then take me home to change,” Eddie suggested. Richie pursed his lips.

“I mean…you know I’m not gonna say no,” he replied. 

Eddie smiled at that and drank more. He hummed into his mug and curled up next to Richie. It had been a while since they cuddled. Ever since that last Sunday when they almost kissed they put some distance between them. Now, as Eddie rested his head on Richie’s shoulder, it felt like coming home. He regretted it since Eddie was clearly uncomfortable with his advances, but to be that close to him was so thrilling he dreamed of it every night since it happened. His mug pressed against Richie’s bicep, and the warmth made Richie sigh.

“Of course not. Why would you ever say no to me?” Eddie hummed with a happy smile. Richie smiled as well and took Eddie under his arm.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he agreed and played with Eddie’s hair.

“Nooo, you’re gonna mess it up,” Eddie sighed and sat up to put his mug on the table. Richie watched as he fixed his hair and then pulled Eddie right back down against him. “Fuck off! You suck so much.”

“Who are you trying to look good for, Eds? Could it be little old me?” Richie teased. Eddie groaned and then yelped when Richie picked him up of the couch entirely.

“Richie! Put me down!” He protested.

“I want to sleep,” Richie said simply and carried Eddie into the bedroom. Eddie groaned again except louder, and Richie laughed before tossing him onto the bed. His cheeks were red as Richie crawled onto the bed with him and pulled his socks off.

“Richie, it’s not even midnight yet,” Eddie complained.

“You just chugged a bunch of chamomile tea, idiot. Now let me snuggle until we pass out,” Richie replied and got up to turn off the lights. Eddie sighed and got up to shrug off his cardigan. It slipped off his shoulders perfectly as Richie turned back, and he took a moment to watch Eddie undress himself.

“Fine, but only because I do work tomorrow,” he replied stubbornly. Richie smiled at that and pulled off his sweats so he was only in his boxers and a teeshirt.

“That’s the spirit, spaghetti man,” he said and crawled back into bed.

Normally they slept either facing away or with Richie big spooning Eddie. This time when Richie came up behind Eddie, he was a little surprised to see Eddie turning and facing him instead. He said nothing as he settled himself in Richie’s arms and pressed his face against his neck. Richie felt his heart race a little, but he eventually calmed down as he stroked Eddie’s back and synced with his breathing. He played with Eddie’s hair a little bit and closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. Just as he was losing consciousness he felt soft lips press against his chest, and he automatically leaned over and kissed Eddie’s temple in return.

“Goodnight, Richie…”

“Night, Eds…”

The next day he woke up to an empty bed as he usually did on Fridays. It was weird how quickly he got used to falling asleep and waking up with Eddie. He’s only been living with Richie for a couple weeks, and he already didn’t want to let him go. His heart yearned for the permanence. The confidence to tell Eddie that this was it for him. All he needed and all he wanted was to spend every day, every evening, every night, every morning with him. No matter how they were, he wanted it. Lovers, or friends, or family. He needed Eddie in his life, but he was too scared to put it into words. Hopefully he showed that enough through all of this. Whatever Eddie needed, Richie would give him.

With most of the day to himself, Richie started with a shower. He liked to take long hot ones, but that day he was a little impatient and got out earlier than usual. After that he ate breakfast, and then he played some video games for a couple hours. Then he checked his emails and sorted through new standup opportunities and new writing offers. A skit he helped co-write was airing at ten, and he was sent the clip before it went live. Once his emails were sorted he went to check his mail box. It contained mostly junk, but he got a check from the standup gig he did last weekend and a coupon for more Chinese. By the time he got back upstairs he made himself lunch, and then he had a solid couple hours before he could pick up Eddie from work. He used those hours to write some of his own material, and then finally getting fully dressed.

When Richie picked up Eddie, he seemed really tired. He tried to coax Eddie into staying home instead, but he was very adamant on seeing their friends. Richie wanted to see their friends too, but, he’ll admit, he was feeling a little selfish. He had gotten so used to having Eddie all to himself, and the attention he got from the person he was desperately in love with was beyond addicting. All he wanted to do was snuggle up on the couch again and watch bad TV shows until they dozed off together. Instead, he agreed to drive to Beverly’s place once they were both ready to go. Eddie traded his business suit for a pair of jeans a one of Richie’s sweaters. He didn’t even bat an eye as he walked past Richie and slipped his sneakers on, so Richie didn’t say anything and merely enjoyed the sight of Eddie making his sweater look ten times bigger than it actually was.

“Oh my god, it took you guys long enough!” Beverly said as she answered the door. She greeted Richie with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then the same to Eddie. They stepped in to see everyone in a heated match of never have I ever.

“Jesus Christ, are we in high school again?” Richie asked as he grabbed a slice of pizza from the kitchen.

“Never have I ever left my _best friend_ in the middle of a rave for the first time in his life and let him accidentally take _acid_ for the first time,” Stan said pointedly looking at Bill.

“That was one t-time! I thought you said you w-wanted to explore!” Bill shouted while putting down a finger.

“Yeah, _with_ you, asshole!” Stan shouted back. Mike was laughing up a storm, and Ben looked to Eddie for help.

“Oh! Never have I ever gone skinny dipping!” Bev shouted.

“You f-fucking asshole!” Bill screamed putting down his last finger. Richie put one finger down as well along with Stan, Mike, and Ben.

“C’mon, Bill. We all know you’d be the first out in never have I ever,” Richie said. Bill threw up a middle finger, and Eddie giggled as he joined Richie in the kitchen for a beer.

“Oh shit, we forgot to bring the six pack,” Eddie whispered. Richie shook his head.

“Just don’t mention it,” he whispered back.

“Oh! We should play truth or dare next!” Beverly suggested.

“Seriously? Is this a blast to the past or something? What’s with all the kiddie games?” Richie asked.

“We were reminiscing and Bev suggested we do sleepover games,” Mike explained.

“They’re fun!” She said defensively.

“They’re f-fun until you guys all fucking try to get m-me out,” Bill grumbled. Stan smiled and rubbed his shoulder.

“It didn’t used to be so easy, Bill. You used to be a virgin once, and then you became a slut,” he said. Richie laughed at that.

“Hell yeah, Big Bill. Up top!” He said running over to give him a high five. 

Bill accepted the gesture and his fake frown quickly split into a smile. Richie stayed and sat with him on the couch as Eddie awkwardly walked over. Beverly sat on the floor with Ben and Mike, but before he could join them Richie tugged him down onto the sliver of couch he had left. He was basically in Richie’s lap, but no one questioned it as Richie wrapped his arms around his waist. He was blushing himself, but as long as he was calm and natural about it so would Eddie. As long as he was comfortable, that was all that mattered to Richie.

“Okay, truth or dare! Let’s start!” Beverly insisted.

Of course they started with Bill and dared him to take off his underwear without taking his pants off. He didn’t even hesitate to run into the kitchen and cut them off, holding up his shredded boxers with pride. Eddie wrinkled his nose at that, and Richie found it absolutely adorable. Richie went next and was dared to give himself a wet willy. He did it no questions asked, but Eddie pulled a face of disgust at that too. Eddie picked truth and was asked the last time he jacked off. He blushed as he answered yesterday, and Richie felt himself blushing too as he stared down at the floor because gosh the carpet was just so much more interesting than Eddie touching himself in Richie’s apartment when he wasn’t home. Beverly was dared by Bill to take off her bra without taking her shirt off, and she impressively undid her bra and pulled it off without even thinking of grabbing the scissors. She said it was too expensive to cut as she put it back on without as much as reaching into her sleeves to put it on.

They went on with truth or dare for a while. It was a game that they often played for hours as they drank throughout the night. In high school they managed to play it until sun rise, and in college they kept a game running for over twenty four hours. Richie has a reputation for never forfeiting a dare, and he never imagined a day that he would. Eddie relaxed more and more against Richie until he was pleasantly cuddled up under his chin like they normally did when they were alone. They didn’t do it as much around their friends, but no one seemed to think it was out of place even when they started playing with each others fingers.

“Okay, Richie. Truth or dare?” Beverly asked.

“Oh gee, lemme think. Uh, _dare_. Duh,” he replied. Beverly thought for a moment before grinning a downright evil grin.

“I dare you to tell us something you’ve never told _anyone_ before _ever_ ,” she dared. Richie instantly felt a pang of anxiety and his smile dropped. He looked around the room to see everyone looking back at him, and let out a nervous chuckle as he let go of Eddie’s hand.

“Really? You guys are all my best friends. I’ve told you guys everything,” Richie lied. Eddie frowned at that and then laughed.

“Dude, that’s such a fucking lie,” he scoffed. Richie blushed. God, could he always tell when Richie was lying? Maybe he was just talking about Connor…

“I’m serious. You guys know everything. Well, at least Eddie knows everything,” Richie insisted.

“R-really Rich? There’s not a single thing? You don’t have a s-single deep dark secret you never t-told a single soul?” Bill questioned.

“No!” Richie insisted.

“I don’t believe you,” Beverly said. Everyone else shook their heads in agreement.

“We usually trust you, Rich, but seriously. There’s gotta be something,” Stan said. His heart raced faster and he stressfully ran his fingers through his hair. Eddie must’ve felt his heart beating because he was sitting up and looking at Richie with concern.

“You okay, Rich? You’re right, we’re your best friends. Whatever it is…we’ll still love you,” Eddie promised. Richie was seconds away from hyperventilating. There was only one thing he had never told anyone.

“Yeah, we love you no matter what, Richie,” Ben added. They all nodded in agreement.

“S-seriously, Rich. It can’t be that bad. Just sp-sp-spit it out,” Bill urged.

“Bill,” Beverly chided.

“What?”

“Richie, are you crying?” Eddie asked softly. Richie blinked up at him and belatedly realized there were tears falling down his cheeks.

“Shit, Richie what are you crying about? Is it that bad?” Stan asked.

“Guys, just knock it off, he’s like having an anxiety attack,” Eddie hissed and held Richie’s hand again. Richie gripped his tightly and clench his jaw as he realized his entire body was shaking. Fuck, why couldn’t he just be at home watching some stupid Netflix show with Eddie?

“Should we move on?” Mike suggested.

“R-Richie never forfeits a dare,” Bill said.

“Well, then what should we do? Wait for him to calm down?” Stan asked.

“Guys, just stop—“

“I’m gay,” Richie announced.

The room was suddenly pin drop silent. Everyone seemed to freeze after those two words left Richie’s lips. They all looked at each other, and then looked to Richie who was squeezing his eyes shut as more tears leaked from his eyes. As if he could feel them, he let go of Eddie’s hand and covered his face with both of his own. He could feel Eddie’s eyes the most, could imagine the hurt behind him. Fuck, if he was upset about Richie not telling him about his experimenting, he’d be even more upset about him not telling him the truth about the conclusion he came to.

“Did he just say…” Mike trailed off.

“Richie, you’re gay?” Beverly asked. Richie sniffled and pulled his hands away to nod. It was silent again for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak.

“I’m gay,” he confirmed.

“Rich, that’s not funny,” Eddie said. Richie blinked up at him and found Eddie’s lip quivering. His own eyes starting to pool over as he looked down at him in pain.

“Eds…” he reached for Eddie’s hand, but Eddie pulled it away.

“Richie, I said it’s not _funny_ ,” he repeated.

“Eddie, I don’t think it’s a joke, sweetie,” Beverly cooed. Eddie blinked his tears away in frustration, and harshly wiped them away.

“Am I the joke then?” Eddie asked glaring at Richie. Richie’s eyes widened in confusion and he shook his head.

“What? No, Eds—“

“God, just stop fucking calling me that!” He snapped and got up to storm out of the apartment. Richie quickly got up and followed him outside into the hall. He was on his phone, and Richie assumed he was calling an Uber.

“Eddie, where are you going? Let me drive you home,” Richie begged as he caught up to him. It was easy when he wasn’t walking very fast in the first place to order his car.

“I don’t know, but I’m not getting in that fucking car with you,” he grumbled. Richie took the phone from him, and Eddie tried to wrestle it back from him but he was too tall.

“Eddie! Just calm down, okay! Let me drive you home, you can have the bed to yourself tonight, okay? Just…” he trailed off, his voice breaking. “Just don’t run off somewhere I can’t find you,” he begged. Eddie glared at him and held his hand out for his phone. Richie sighed and gave it back. He canceled the car and stuffed it back in his pocket.

“Not a fucking word in the car,” he said and continued down the hallway. 

Richie followed after him, but stayed behind him as they left the apartment complex. He was silent in the car as promised, but he could feel the pain he inflicted on Eddie. Rain pelted the windshield, and it was the most comforting thing about the drive. The tension, Eddie’s soft sobbing, and the anxiety from just coming out to all his closest friends was a whirlwind of bad feelings that was frankly confusing. He desperately wanted to reach out and comfort Eddie, because Eddie was a person who liked to be touched. He liked the security of being able to physically feel the comfort, and he liked the warmth of being close to another human being. He had explained that to Richie in high school as they cuddled next to a campfire when he got nervous about the bugs. He remembered he held him the entire night just to make him feel better. Right now Eddie would rather suffer and feel insecure and scared than accept Richie’s comfort. That probably hurt the most.

“I’m going to shower, and then I’m going to bed,” Eddie said as they walked into the apartment. 

Richie nodded and made his way to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. He started to get out a second mug, but was quickly deterred when Eddie bluntly told him to leave it. He shut the bathroom door harshly behind him, and Richie filled up his tea kettle with water. As the shower started he turned the heat on and then put the kettle on the stove. He watched the flames as he could hear faint sobbing from the bathroom. His own mind was almost blank, but he couldn’t imagine what Eddie was thinking. For so long he figured Eddie wouldn’t care if he was gay. Listening to him cry…it was like he was the one being rejected instead of Richie rejecting himself for so long. His thoughts were interrupted when his phone went off in his pocket, and he automatically pulled it out and answered.

“Hey.”

“Hey, Rich. Is everything okay? Did you guys get home safely?” Beverly asked.

“Yeah, we’re home right now. Sorry about…everything. I should’ve just forfeit,” he said.

“Oh no, it’s okay baby. I’m so sorry if you felt pressured, but I’m glad you told us. It may seem like it was a bad idea right now, but I think you and Eddie might just be having some miscommunications right now,” Beverly assured him.

“Probably. I’m kinda shit with words if they’re not a joke,” Richie said.

“It’s not easy in the first place, Richie. Give yourself some credit, and try it out please. Maybe some more honesty?” She suggested. Richie stared at himself in the reflection of the kettle and sighed.

“I’m so in love with him, Bevvy,” he confessed. His voice cracking and his fingers trembling around his phone.

“…oh, honey,” Beverly sighed.

“I’ve loved him my whole fucking life. I just…I couldn’t imagine him ever…ever loving me like that. Even when I knew he was gay, I just…didn’t think he’d ever see me that way…and clearly I was right,” Richie said.

“Baby, you can’t just assume things. You should talk to him before assuming things,” Beverly chided. Richie sniffled.

“I just wanted to make him happy…I thought…I thought forgetting about it would make things easier…” Richie said.

“It’s never easy to forget a part of yourself, Richie. I’m _really_ glad you told us, honey. That was incredibly brave of you, and I’m so sorry I pushed you to come out before you were ready,” Beverly cooed over the phone. Richie smiled a little.

“Thanks Bev. You’re the best,” he said.

“The other boys send their love and they’re so proud of you. They all left a little after you and Eddie but they knew I would call you and figured you’d appreciate this instead of five text messages saying basically the same things,” Beverly told him. He smiled a little wider.

“Okay. I’ll text them all in the morning. Sorry to crash your party. It was definitely fun while it lasted,” Richie murmured.

“Of course. We’ll have to have another one soon once you and Eddie get everything sorted out, but until then, it really was fun tonight,” she agreed. 

The water started to boil and the kettle whistled loudly. Richie turned off the heat as the shower shut off, and he glanced over his shoulder in time to see Eddie walk from the bathroom to the bed room in nothing but a towel holding his clothes. He shut the door promptly behind him without a second glance, and Richie sighed before turning back to his kettle.

“I’ll text you tomorrow. Thanks again for the party. Love you,” he said.

“I love you too, Rich. Get some sleep okay,” Beverly hummed. Richie smiled and poured his tea.

“Sure thing.”


	8. one hell of a bitch ass confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve got a few things to say before you read if you care. If not, happy reading! Sorry it’s late ://
> 
> First I wanna say I’m super sorry about not posting for like two weeks. I got a pretty nasty comment on one of my one shots and it made me kinda shut down and not wanna post for a while. I try not to let comments get to me because I post fan fiction mostly for myself and anyone else who might be interested, but I’m not like a public figure or anything so I feel no need to explain myself or my writing. The comment was trying to suggest that I’m transphobic and fetishizing trans men when,,, I am a trans man and I write fan fiction to cope and normalize trans people having sex. That’s neither here nor there since this fan fiction they are both cis, but that’s the explanation and I felt hurt by the comment enough to put off updating for so long. I figured I’d just be as transparent as possible. (Also don’t look for the comment I already gave them a piece of my mind ty)
> 
> Second, you might’ve noticed I changed it from nine chapters to eight. To put it simply, I want to write an epilogue for this story, but I’m not in the right mind space to do it. I have so many other stories floating in my head rn that I need to get out, so idk when I’ll have the motivation to come back to this one. For now I like how this chapter ends, so I changed it to 8 chapters, and when I complete the epilogue I’ll simply post it here. If you really want to read the epilogue, which will mostly just be more fluff and smut, then I’d suggest subscribing to the story so you’ll get an email god knows whenever I’ll be able to finish it. I wish I had the mind set to finish this the way I wanted to, but unfortunately mental illness is kicking my ass and my adhd is all over the place trying to keep me distract from my own existence.
> 
> Lastly I want to say thank you to everyone who loves and supports this story and enjoys it for what it is! I had so much fun writing it, and your comments always make me smile so thank you for being patient and kind. I hope you enjoy this last chapter and I’ll see you when I post the epilogue :)

Eddie didn’t sleep. Why the hell did he think he could in the first place? All he could do was burn with anger as he glared up at the ceiling. Everything smelled like Richie anyways, and that just made him miss him. He hadn’t stopped hugging himself since he laid down, but that was useless compared to how Richie hugged him. That was honestly all he wanted in that moment. To be hugged and to be loved by him, but apparently he couldn’t fucking love him back even though he was gay. It was easier thinking Richie didn’t love him like that because he wasn’t born that way. Now it just made Eddie feel unloved and disgusting.

The entire time. Every night and every terrible boyfriend, Richie was gay. God, he probably sounded like a fucking idiot talking about how much he respected Richie’s sexuality. How much he wanted to assure him he wouldn’t try to turn him gay just because it was a stereotype. Richie was probably laughing at him the whole time! It didn’t sound like Richie to make fun of him like that, but Eddie was hurt and he was anxious thinking about it. At the end of it, he was just sad that even though he had a chance, Richie wasn’t in love with him like Eddie was. He didn’t feel the same way even though he was capable of feeling that way about men. Connor’s words and emotions were suddenly making a lot of sense. It really sucks when you’re just not the right guy.

Hours passed as Eddie wallowed in self pity. The tears didn’t seem to stop, and his heart couldn’t calm down either. After a while it was just frustrating, and then he was just mad. He was mad at himself for letting him fall so deeply for Richie, and then he was mad at Richie for hiding this from him. What did he do wrong? Why couldn’t his best friend tell him something so basic about himself? Eddie didn’t feel the need to come out because he figured anyone could tell. That and he quickly established his interest in men once he was free of his mother. Richie clearly held onto something when it came to his sexuality, or else he would’ve either come out earlier or just not make a big deal out of it. He was shaking so bad, and he didn’t even realize he was crying. Thinking back, he looked so fucking scared the minute Beverly said the dare. Thinking now…he was probably still scared hoping Eddie would accept him.

“Fuck,” Eddie croaked and finally sat up to get out of bed.

It was some time past two AM. The main room was dark, and the TV was off when Eddie opened the door. He padded his way to the couch and found Richie fast asleep, or at least pretending to sleep, holding one of the throw cushions. Eddie sniffled and pouted. Was he really so fucking jealous over a throw pillow? He crouched down and gently nudged Richie’s shoulder. Usually he was a pretty heavy sleeper, but if he was ever anxious about something it was impossible for him to stay asleep for long. Sure enough, he blinked open his eyes almost immediately and seemed to sigh with relief when he saw Eddie sat in front of him. Eddie stood up and held his hand up.

“Let’s go to bed,” he spoke. 

His voice was rough from the crying, but Richie followed his direction without comment. He pushed his blanket off and abandoned his pillow in favor of Eddie’s hand. With their fingers interlocked, Eddie lead him back to the bed room and onto the bed. Richie sunk into the mattress with him and held Eddie close just like he did with the pillow. Eddie let out his own sigh or relief, and nuzzled himself against Richie’s chest. After craving his comfort and affection and hurting so badly, being wrapped up in his arms felt so amazing. He started crying again from how nice it felt, and Richie ran his fingers through his hair again.

“I’m really sorry, Eds,” Richie murmured softly. Eddie let out an audible sob and moved to press his forehead to Richie’s neck. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt the tears leak all over the place. “I know you were already upset about me hiding what happened with Connor. I just…didn’t know what to do with myself when I realized it meant something.”

“Richie…” Eddie whimpered.

“I should’ve told you sooner,” Richie said. Eddie nodded in agreement. “And…and I’m sorry it upset you so much to find out like this…I’m sorry if I’ve ever embarrassed you or made you feel stupid…” he trailed off as Eddie pushed himself up to glare down at him. He wiped his tears away again and shook his head.

“I’m…I’m not mad at you, Richie. I mean I _am_ , but I’ll get over that. I just…it _hurts_ , Richie. It hurts to feel…to feel like _this_ and to think…” he groaned and pulled his knees up to his chest. Richie sat up with him and comfortingly rubbed his back.

“I’m here to listen, okay? I’m still your best friend, Eds. If you need to say something and get it out to move on and be happy, just do it,” Richie encouraged. Eddie shook his head and looked Richie in the eyes.

“I can’t just move on, Rich,” he said weakly. Richie was quiet, so he continued. “Richie, I…I don’t think you understand how much it _hurts_ to be faced with the fact that the person you love the most just doesn’t love you back,” he said bluntly. Richie blinked in surprise, and then frown in confusion.

“What…what do you mean?” He asked. Eddie groaned and pulled at his own hair.

“God, you’re so fucking _dense_ ,” he whimpered. Richie opened his mouth to talk again, but Eddie beat him to it. “I love you, Richie! I’ve always loved you. I’ve been so absolutely hopelessly in love with you, and it was so much _less painful_ to love you thinking you just _couldn’t_ love me like that. To think that, y’know, you can’t help that you’re straight just like I can’t help that I’m gay, but you’re _not_ fucking straight. You’re gay too, and I’m just the idiot who fucking fell in love with his best friend. I thought that maybe I would have a chance if you were gay, but apparently I don’t and this whole time I was just…” he took a few deep breaths and then broke down crying again. “I just don’t…”

Eddie continued to sob against his knees and sit there. The hand on his back was still there, but now it was completely frozen. He was tempted to look up to see Richie’s reaction, but he was scared of what he might see. Disgust? Shock? Terror? Pure amusement? None of those reactions sounded like something Richie would feel, but Eddie didn’t know what else to think. The negative thoughts were so overpowering, and his only hope was that Richie would still be his friend by the end of this. Maybe they couldn’t be as close anymore, but he hoped in his heart that they could be close again because he just _desperately_ wanted Richie in his life. Kyle made him forget how much he needed him, but he would never forget just how badly he wanted him. Richie was a luxury and a necessity. He wouldn’t just let him go that easily.

He finally gathered the courage to look up at Richie after he had been quiet for so long, and found the other man staring at him with wide eyes. They were leaking again as well, and his mouth was slack just like when he was about to speak earlier, but he clearly was speechless by Eddie’s confession. Eddie frowned and gently cupped Richie’s face to hopefully get a reaction. Richie closed his mouth as his thin fingers touched his jaw, and then he reached up and covered Eddie’s hand with his own. His face pinched with the tears and he furrowed his brows as he sniffled.

“Eds…fuck…I…”

“I’m so sorry, Richie,” Eddie cooed and held the other side of his face as well. He pressed their foreheads together and Richie let his eyes close. “I just hope we can still be friends. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop loving you, so I understand if you need your space—“

Everything kinda just stopped when Richie pushed himself forward and kissed Eddie on the lips. Eddie’s entire body went stiff and his tears stopped the moment he realized what was happening. Richie kissed him again despite Eddie being so still, and soon his own face was the one being cradled by Richie’s big strong hands. His eyes rolled shut by the third kiss, and he whimpered as he finally found the strength to kiss him back. Richie only moved closer when Eddie reciprocated, and he touched Richie’s chest like he had done so many times before. His lips were so soft and gentle, but his hands were shaking against Eddie’s jaw. He could still feel fresh tears press against Eddie’s cheeks as they kissed and kissed even more, and he quickly took over by crawling into Richie’s lap and wrapping his arms around his neck.

“I love you, Richie. I love you so much,” Eddie cooed and wiped his tears away. Richie choked on a sob and buried his face into Eddie’s neck.

“That’s what I always thought. I just…I thought there was no way you could ever love me the way I love you. I was so ashamed of it…when I slept with Connor it just confirmed what I already knew,” Richie murmured wetly against Eddie’s skin. Eddie was shocked to hear that.

“Oh, Richie…baby,” he sighed and stroked his hair.

“I was too scared of the rejection. I was happy just being your best friend. Whatever you want me to be, I’ll be, but I didn’t want to put myself out there and get rejected. I love you too much to risk this. I love you too much to be that selfish. I just wanna make you happy,” Richie continued.

“Richie, _you_ make me happy. You don’t have to do anything. Just being yourself is enough,” Eddie assured him and kissed the side of his head. Richie sighed and kissed his neck before trailing up to his lips.

“I’m sorry I made you cry. I hated it when Kyle made you cry, and now I made you cry. I’m so sorry, honey,” Richie spoke his hushed whispers as he held Eddie close and kissed his cheeks.

“It’s okay. Sometimes you just need to cry,” Eddie said. Richie nodded and pressed his forehead against Eddie’s.

“I’ve always loved you too, Eds. The way I feel about you…it’s honestly kind of pathetic. I’d do anything for you,” Richie told him. Eddie smiled at that and held Richie’s face again.

“I feel the same exact way, Richie,” he replied. Richie finally smiled and then they laughed together. “Please, let’s just get some rest, okay? I haven’t been able to sleep at all without you.” Richie nodded.

“I thought if I pretended to sleep I would eventually fall asleep,” Richie said.

“Did it work?” Eddie asked. He shook his head and they giggled together again.

This time when Eddie settled back into Richie’s bed, he was pleasantly comfortable in the arms of his lover. Everything all seemed so silly now that he knew Richie really did love him back, but he wasn’t too concerned about that anyways. Now that he was snuggled up in Richie’s arms with their legs intertwined and his head on his chest, there was nothing else in the world that could bother him. He fell asleep in minutes, and the bliss that followed in his dreams was immaculate.

Waking up didn’t feel real. Eddie struggled to believe that what happened last night really happened, but when he saw Richie fast asleep in front of him he started to believe it. He continued to sleep as Eddie blinked his eyes open, and he stayed asleep as he reached out and cradled his cheek. Fingers gently moved over Richie’s skin, and Eddie was in awe over the fact that he had fully felt those lips just last night. He had wiped those tears and heard his confession. Richie loved Eddie just like Eddie loved Richie. His heart so open and raw while he cried, and Eddie knew what Richie meant when he said he hated seeing him cry. The pain behind all those years of hiding finally coming out, and Eddie was there to help him stay afloat instead of drown in his sorrows.

Thing is, Eddie knew Richie really was a heavy sleeper, and after last night he imagined he would stay asleep for a while. So, he gently pulled himself away and unlocked Richie’s arms from his waist to get out of bed. It was cold, so he grabbed one of Richie’s hoodies off the floor and tugged it on. He then walked out into the kitchen and opened the fridge. They had talked about going grocery shopping later before the party yesterday, and he got a little excited at the idea of shopping with Richie as a couple. He tried to calm himself when he remembered they didn’t confirm anything like that, and reached in to grab the egg carton. He greased the pan and prepared them breakfast as he waited for Richie to wake up.

Watching the egg cook on the pan was calming. He watched the whites thicken and cook, and then flipped it over careful not to disturb the yolk for Richie. Once it was cooked, Eddie pulled out a plate and scooped up the egg to put it on. He then cracked another egg and immediately started scrambling it in the pan when he felt warm and familiar arms around his waist. His face heated up at the feeling of lips against his neck, and he tried to focus on his food as Richie kissed his jaw.

“You are so cute,” Richie murmured. His voice was heavy with sleep, and Eddie bit back a moan from how easily the other man turned him on.

“Your egg is already done,” he said reaching for the plate and handing it over his shoulder. 

Richie accepted it and reached around him for the salt and pepper. He sprinkled it on and walked to the other side of the kitchen to grab a fork and dig into it. Eddie tried to focus on his eggs, and successfully cooked it to his liking and plated it. He salted it and glanced over to see Richie watching him. He was completely lacking a shirt, and that made Eddie turn his head quickly out of habit. Then Richie chuckled behind him and Eddie peeked again to see him finishing up the last of his breakfast. Eddie walked over to grab a fork, but was distracted when Richie kissed the top of his head.

“Good morning,” he hummed. Eddie blushed and blinked up at him. “You okay?” Richie asked.

“Just…not expecting that. It’s all…very new,” he replied and shyly took a bite from his eggs.

“Should I stop?” Richie asked. Eddie coyly looked up while he kept his fork in his mouth and then shook his head before walking over to the counter to set his plate down. He hoped Richie would follow, and was pleased to feel him around his waist again.

“Aren’t you cold?” Eddie asked.

“That’s why I’m holding you, Eds,” Richie murmured as he rested his chin on Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie smiled at that a little, and then giggled around his food when Richie nuzzled against his neck.

“That’s funny because between the two of us, you produce the most heat,” Eddie said moving his head closer to Richie. The mop of black curly hair moved away, and Richie met his eyes with a smile.

“That’s probably why I’m not as cold,” he replied. Eddie’s eyes flicked down to Richie’s lips, but quickly looked back to his eggs as he took his last few bites.

“Where did your glasses go?” Eddie asked.

“Next to the couch. I was sleeping there for a while,” Richie said and then pressed a kiss to Eddie’s temple. Eddie felt his body fill with warmth as Richie held him tighter, and touched the arms around his waist.

“Maybe you should go get them,” he suggested.

“I can see you just fine from right here,” Richie hummed and then kissed down his face until he got to his neck again. Eddie tilted his head to give Richie more room and closed his eyes at the sensation of Richie’s mouth on his skin.

“Not for your sake. I like the glasses,” Eddie said. Richie chuckled, and then let go of him so he could retrieve his eyewear from the coffee table. He shoved them back on, and Eddie watched as he walked back to him from across the room.

“Happy?” Richie asked. Eddie turned to face him this time when he approached, and got up on his tip toes to kiss Richie on the mouth.

“Very,” he nodded. Richie seemed dazzled by the fact that Eddie just kissed him, and then pulled him closer into another one.

“Good. Because I’m happy too,” Richie said pressing his forehead against Eddie’s. Eddie smiled wide at that and snaked his arms around Richie’s neck.

“And why is that?” Eddie asked playfully. Richie grinned and then kissed his jaw as he settled his hands on Eddie’s hips.

“Because I have you, and I somehow didn’t fuck this all up,” Richie replied. Eddie laughed at that.

“You could never fuck this up, dude. We’re kinda stuck with each other at this point,” Eddie told him. Richie smiled softly and held his cheek.

“How did you sleep?” He asked.

“Really well…but I’ve been sleeping really well ever since I crashed here,” Eddie replied.

“That’s good. Can’t have you missing your beauty sleep and being all grumpy,” Richie said. Eddie pinched his shoulder, and they laughed together. He then kissed Richie again on the lips, and Richie pulled him closer by his hips.

“I’m only grumpy when you’re being an idiot,” Eddie murmured.

“But I’m always an idiot.”

“You’re not being an idiot right now,” he whispered. Richie opened his mouth to speak, but then decided to kiss Eddie instead.

“I guess I’m not.”

“Probably the first time in twenty four years that you’re not being an idiot,” Eddie jabbed. Richie laughed at that and nodded in agreement.

“That’s for sure…I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you, Eds,” he said the last part seriously, and Eddie merely shook his head.

“You weren’t ready. It’s okay,” he cooed. Richie shrugged.

“Maybe. I dunno. I was just…I was scared. Then I was worried that if I came out you’d just say congrats and move on when I really /don’t/ wanna move on. I want you, and coming out in my head meant I’d have to tell you that too,” Richie told him. Eddie frowned at that.

“You really couldn’t tell how fucking in love with you I am? I thought everyone could tell, or at least suspect it,” Eddie said. Richie shook his head.

“Eds, you had like three different boyfriends in college.”

“Because I was trying to get _over_ you, Rich! You had a million girls on you all the time!” Eddie pointed out. Richie laughed at that.

“I hated that so much. They were all nice girls, but I’m so not into women,” Richie replied. Eddie giggled hearing that. He never thought he’d hear Richie say something like that.

“I love you,” Eddie blurted with a smile. Richie blinked down at him and smiled back.

“I love you too, Eddie spaghetti,” he said. Eddie rolled his eyes and kissed Richie’s neck.

“I’m sorry I reacted like that last night. You looked so nervous. I should’ve been supportive first and then explain why I was upset,” Eddie told him. Richie was quiet for a moment and then hugged Eddie against his chest.

“It’s okay…I forgive you. I can understand why you were upset…I felt so bad hiding it from you, but I was so certain you’d reject me if I confessed,” Richie said. Eddie shook his head and hugged Richie back tightly.

“You’re really fucking dense sometimes, Richie. You could’ve told me that you love me at anytime and I would’ve dropped whoever I was seeing for you,” Eddie sighed. Richie chuckled a little at that and kissed his forehead.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” he joked. Eddie shook his head and pulled back.

“No next time! We’re only doing this bullshit once,” he replied.

“Hey, Eds.”

“What?”

“I’m gay and I’m in love with you,” Richie said. Eddie shook his head but smiled regardless.

“I’m gay and I’m in love with you too,” he replied. Richie leaned down to kiss him on the lips, and Eddie reciprocated with his hands on Richie’s bare chest. He suddenly pulled back and looked at Eddie with wide eyes.

“Wait, does this mean you actually wanna have sex with me?” He asked. Eddie furrowed his brows.

“Uh, yeah? I thought that was obvious,” he confirmed. Richie turned bright red.

“That time! When you were drunk and you said it! I didn’t know if it was just like a kink or something because you thought I was straight!”

“Wait, I deadass said that when I was drunk?” Eddie asked. Richie nodded, and Eddie was red too. He hid his face in Richie’s chest and groaned. “Oh my god, I’m such a fucking idiot…”

“I almost kissed you when we were high,” Richie pointed out.

“Yeah, after I told you about how much I like it when guys cum on my face! Seriously, did you not get the hint?” Eddie snapped.

“What hint?”

“Oh my god…I was talking about it because I wanted _you_ to do it!” He groaned. Richie’s eyes went wide.

“You want me to cum on your face?” He asked.

“I want you to cum _everywhere_ on me! Dude, I’m so fucking horny for you it’s goddamn embarrassing! The amount of times I’ve gotten off thinking about your stupid dick inside me is absolutely fucking pathetic!” Eddie rambled glaring up at him. Richie gaped at him.

“I…you…seriously?” Eddie nodded.

“Fuck, Richie, I’d zone out right in front of you so many times. I couldn’t help myself, you’re so hot and we’re so close. I’ve seen you _naked_ before for Christ’s sake. Of course I’m fucking sexually attracted to you,” he ranted. Richie bit his lip briefly and touched Eddie’s hips again.

“Yeah? What…what did you think about?” Richie asked. Eddie shivered a little as Richie touched under the hoodie, and then slid his hands up to his waist. He blushed and suddenly what he said was catching up to him.

“I…I thought about a lot of things,” he said shyly. Richie pushed him closer again, and then backed him up against the counter. Eddie looked down at Richie’s skin and let his hands drift lower.

“What kind of things?” Richie murmured.

“Just…everything? I really just wanted everything with you,” he answered vaguely. Richie tilted his chin up and Eddie was met with hazy eyes. He’d seen them once before this close when they got high together, and to know that Richie was actually turned on made Eddie lean closer on purpose this time.

“Tell me what you want, Eds,” Richie said.

“Why should I?” Eddie challenged. Richie smirked and kissed him on the lips. It was different from all the sweet kisses they’ve shared that morning. His lips made Eddie’s toes curl, and he felt weak from how badly he’s wanted Richie to kiss him like that.

“Because I might just give it to you,” he replied. Eddie pressed his lips together to stop himself from making a noise, but Richie merely kissed him again. He sighed through his nose, and kissed Richie back as he spread his fingers and touched the pale skin in front of him. There were hands on his own skin that explored under the hoodie. He gasped when Richie passed his thumb over one of his nipples, and then shivered when he squeezed his waist.

“Richie…” he moaned quietly and touched just above his boxers. Richie nibbled his lower lip and started to lift the hoodie. Eddie lifted his arms and let Richie toss it to the side along with his teeshirt that got caught underneath it.

“So, what do you want?” Richie hummed and kissed down his neck. Eddie whimpered when he started to suck, and clung to his shoulders when he pulled Eddie away from the counter.

“Rich…fuck, I want _everything_ with you,” he gasped. Richie groaned above his collarbones and Eddie moaned when he used his teeth to nip at his skin.

With pure desire and determination, Eddie turned them and pushed Richie against the counter. He kissed down his neck, down his chest as Richie tried to catch his breath. It was useless as he watched Eddie kiss lower and lower until he was on his knees in front of him. He pushed his glasses up as Eddie smiled at him and kissed just below his belly button. His knees met the linoleum, and was surprised to see Richie toe his hoodie back over to use as a cushion. Eddie smirked and placed the fabric under his knees and then touched down Richie’s thighs.

“How sweet of you,” he said. Richie’s eyes were wide looking down at Eddie in such a position, and nodded as he resumed his kisses.

“I’d rather be the one leaving a mark than the floor,” Richie said simply. Eddie bit his lip and then pressed a kiss to Richie’s inner thigh. He groaned in response and gripped the counter behind him. Eddie then kissed over his boxers and pressed his face against the distinct outline of Richie’s cock.  
  
“I wanna suck your dick so bad,” Eddie sighed as he teased and played with the elastic. Richie tilted his head back to look away, but quickly returned his eyes to Eddie as he reached down to run his fingers through his messy brown hair.

“If you can fit it,” he said with a smirk. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“You might be fucking huge, but you forget how gay I am,” Eddie replied and started to shift the fabric down. 

Richie tightened his grip on Eddie’s hair, and lifted his hips from the counter for Eddie to pull off his boxers completely. He swallowed hard, obviously a little nervous as Eddie pushed the fabric all the way down to his ankles. Eddie couldn’t help but smile at how cute Richie was when he was nervous like this. He’s only seen it a few times since Richie was so good at hiding it, but seeing it now made him feel special. He took his time kissing Richie’s hip and below his navel while ignoring the hard flesh brushing against his chin and his cheeks. Richie made a little moan every time it did, and eventually held his free hand over his mouth as Eddie teased him.

“Hm…feels good,” Eddie hummed and touched up his legs and over his hip. Richie’s eyes fluttered at the sensation, but seemed determined to watch Eddie’s mouth the entire time. That made Eddie smirk and pull back so the tip of Richie’s cock was right in front of Eddie’s lips. He groaned and let his fingers in Eddie’s hair move down to cup his face and press his thumb against Eddie’s lower lip.

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” Richie sighed and pulled the hand on his own mouth away so he could support himself. Eddie smiled cutely and then gently took Richie in his hand. He was able to bite back his moan on the first stroke, but when Eddie licked his hand and then continued he couldn’t keep back the whimper crawling up his throat.

“I haven’t even put you in my mouth yet, Rich,” Eddie teased and then gently pressed the tip of his tongue at the slit. Richie groaned and stroked Eddie’s cheek with his thumb.

“So fucking beautiful,” Richie sighed. Eddie blushed and then swirled his tongue around the head. He moaned when Eddie finally took him in his mouth, and moaned louder when Eddie took him deeper. He got half way before bobbing his head a couple times and pulling back to kiss the head. “ _Fuck_ ,” Richie gasped.

“You’re so big, Richie,” Eddie hummed and rubbed his tongue under the head before circling it again. Richie whimpered at that and shook his head.

“It’s like…just a little bigger than average.”

“No, Richie. You’re fucking _huge_. All your stupid dick jokes from middle school were true and I hate that so much,” Eddie said. Richie laughed a little, but it quickly died in his throat when Eddie sucked on his reddened sensitive skin. “Has anyone been able to take all of you, baby?” He asked. Richie shook his head.

“Never,” Richie answered rather obediently. Eddie smirked and took him a little further before pulling off again.

“That’s not surprising,” he whispered.

After that he closed his eyes and relaxed his throat. He leaned in to take Richie’s cock again, and was able to easily slide down his length. He pulled back a few times as he went down because he loved to tease, and looked up when he finally got further than halfway. Richie’s hand on the counter was shaking, and his other hand on Eddie’s face returned to his hair. Eddie pushed himself further on Richie’s dick until he was completely inside his mouth and in the back of his throat. His gag reflex was almost nonexistent in the first place, but between all the hundreds of medications his mother forced him to take and the dick he sucked in college he learned to control it nicely. Although, Richie was the biggest he’s ever taken, and he couldn’t stay there long before he needed to pull off and cough a little before returning.

“Fuck, Eds, that is so fucking hot,” Richie moaned and grabbed his dick so he could press the head against Eddie’s lips. He held his tongue out and Richie’s eyes glazed over as he watched Eddie move it around his cock and then suck. “Fucking…shit, Eds.”

“Good?” Eddie asked as he pulled back. Spit was dripping over his lips, and Richie groaned as he pushed his cock back in.

“Better than good, baby. Fuck, you’re _amazing_. So fucking sexy,” Richie said as he watched Eddie take his entire length again. He moved his head again, and Richie moaned at the sensation. Eddie couldn’t help but press against his boxers as he worked, and moaned himself as he pulled on and stroked his length. Richie must’ve noticed what Eddie’s other hand was doing because he moaned a little louder gently stopped him.

“Eds, I can’t… _fuck_ , I wanna touch you so bad,” he groaned. 

Eddie pouted and moaned when he pressed _just_ right against his cock. Richie groaned again and pulled Eddie up to his feet. He licked his fingers and then smashed their lips together. With Eddie whimpering at his lips, he pushed past the elastic of Eddie’s boxers and pressed his wet fingers right against his hole. Eddie gasped, and hung off Richie’s shoulders as he circled the tight ring of muscle. He bit his lip in attempt to restrain his moans, but as Richie attacked his neck at the same time he couldn’t do much but hold on. His back arched automatically, and quick fingers made use of that. Sliding up his spine and pushing their bodies even closer than they already where.

“Mm…Richie, fuck me. Don’t tease me,” Eddie whimpered and dug his nails into his flesh. Richie was busy sucking and biting under his ear, and Eddie had to pull his head back to try to get his attention. That only brought their lips together, and Eddie tensed up when he felt Richie start to dip his fingers inside him. He immediately pulled out and Eddie made a sound comparable to a kicked puppy.

“That feel good?” Richie asked before dipping back inside. Eddie trembled and let out a shaky breath.  
  
“Fuck…Richie, I swear to god. Take me to bed and fuck me properly you fucking asshole,” Eddie growled and ever so slightly rolled his hips back against those fingers. 

Then he was being lifted off his feet, and he yelped as Richie pulled his legs over his waist. Eddie was ready to be carried to bed, but found his back colliding with the carpet in the main room as Richie fell over. He groaned, thankful that Richie didn’t fall completely on him and peeked down to see Richie’s ankles still tangled in his boxers. A smile instantly split across his face and he bursted out laughing as Richie rolled over and tried to wrestle the fabric off his feet. His cackling filled the apartment as Richie successfully flung the fabric back into the kitchen with his hoodie and looked back to see Eddie flushed with amusement and clutching his stomach. Richie smiled himself and crawled over between his still spread legs and kiss his jaw.

“Fucking hell, Rich! Did you seriously trip over your fucking boxers?” Eddie giggled. Richie laughed with him and kissed him on the lips. He meant it to be quick, but Eddie was quicker to tangle his fingers in his hair and press his tongue into Richie’s mouth. Needless to say, they spent a couple minutes in each others mouths before they paused to pant against each other’s lips.

“You’re so sexy, Eddie spaghetti. Even your laugh turns me on,” Richie mumbled and then kissed him again. Eddie hummed with delight and smiled so big it broke the kiss.

“Glad I’m not the only one who’s sexually aroused by laughing,” he replied. Richie chuckled, and Eddie couldn’t help but moan in approval.

“What about my laugh turns you on, Eds? You’ve told me it’s the loudest most obnoxious laugh you’ve ever heard,” Richie pointed out.

“And yet I can’t stop hearing it whenever I imagine you fucking me,” Eddie sighed and tried to continue the kisses.

“Fucking…alright, that’s it.”

Richie then stood up again and pulled Eddie up with him to push them towards the bedroom. He laughed in response and Richie’s impatience got the best of him when he wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist picking him up again. Once they got to the bed Eddie was tossed onto the mattress face down. He giggled and turned his upper body around to leave a nice view for Richie as he crawled on top of him. Sure enough, his hand immediately went for Eddie’s ass still covered with his boxers. It was so large and when it squeezed his flesh Eddie could feel how strong he was just in his fingers. He never felt weak or small in comparison to Richie, but he definitely liked the way his hands seemed to fit so perfectly over his body. Their tongues were back at it, and Eddie moaned as Richie almost desperately ripped the fabric off his body.

“If I hear a seam rip you’re buying me a good pair,” Eddie murmured against Richie’s lips. His lover smiled in response, and Eddie cupped his face. “I love your smile…”

“Remember when I had braces in middle school?” Richie asked. Eddie giggled at that and nodded.

“I always hated the way braces looked before that…and then suddenly I had wet dreams about licking yours,” Eddie hummed as Richie finally slipped the garment off Eddie’s ankles. He shook his head.

“No way my innocent spaghetti was thinking of playing tonsil tennis with me when we were fourteen,” he said. Eddie bit his lip pulled Richie’s hand back up to his ass.

“God, it was so much more than making out, Rich. I wanted to see those silver tracks peak out when you sucked my dick,” Eddie confessed. Richie groaned and licked his fingers again so he could continue against Eddie’s hole.

“Yeah?” Eddie nodded.

“Yeah…wanted to see them twinkle when you moan and to feel them as you nibble on my ear. Fuck, I was so obsessed with your mouth in middle school. Then I saw your fucking dick when we went skinny dipping and that was a whole other fucking obsession,” he rambled as Richie eased his finger up to the first knuckle.

“Christ, Eds,” Richie sighed and kissed him on the lips. He reciprocated for a moment before pulling back and pulling his fingers out.

“Do you have lube? Condoms?” Eddie asked with wide eyes.

“I have lube, but…uh, I haven’t hooked up in years, Eds. I haven’t really…needed a condom,” Richie explained. Eddie nodded and sat up.

“That’s okay. I got tested after I found out Kyle was cheating and got tested regularly after that. I’m clean, but my last test was a couple months ago. Kyle and I…kinda stopped before that,” Eddie assured him. Richie nodded back and leaned in to kiss him sweetly.

“I trust you. If you wanna skip it, I’m fine with that,” Richie said. Eddie nodded eagerly and then kissed him again as he touched down Richie’s naked chest.

“Yes…please…I’ve waited so long, I don’t wanna wait anymore, Rich,” Eddie murmured between kisses as he pushed Richie onto his back. He then crawled on top of him and reached over to the nightstand. He eventually found the lube in his drawer, with Richie’s direction, and pulled it out. Richie reached up to take it, but Eddie quickly shook his head and shoved his hands away.

“Eds, please, I—“

“Richie, I swear to god. I can have myself prepared within the next _minute_. You can finger me next time, but I needed you inside me _years_ ago,” Eddie snapped and coated his fingers in lube. Richie shut his jaw, but then let it slowly fall back open as Eddie reached back and opened himself up.

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” Richie sighed as he took in Eddie on top of him. Eddie whimpered at his voice, and started with two fingers.

It was different actually fingering himself in front of Richie. In his imagination he thought it would feel different, but it was nothing compared to the real thing. Eddie always thought he’d feel like the sexiest man alive fingering himself for Richie to watch. He thought it would be so incredibly arousing and flattering, but since it was a fantasy he didn’t think about the sudden insecurity and self consciousness that came with it. Suddenly he couldn’t meet Richie’s eyes and was stuck either closing his eyes or looking away. He could still feel Richie’s eyes on him when he did, and he knew his face was burning as he crooked his fingers at just the right angle and couldn’t help but let out an embarrassing moan. Then he felt Richie’s hands on his thighs, and he snuck a glance at the other man’s face.

It wasn’t so much shock, but there was definitely awe. Richie’s eyes wide and taking in every movement as Eddie eased a third finger inside himself. He couldn’t even see where they were going into, but he watched every single movement as Eddie curled them and shook from the stimulation. He put a hand on Richie’s chest to hold him up, and Richie’s own hands slid up to his hips. Eddie whimpered as they gripped him on the hip bones, and his hips stuttered back. It was muscle memory from all the times he imagined the guy fucking him from behind as Richie. Actually feeling his hands on his body was ten times better than any fantasy could ever feel. His hands continued to Eddie’s waist, and then over his spine and down over his ass to spread his cheeks. Richie bit his lip as he watched Eddie’s hips jerk again, and used his thumbs to get closer to his hole and spread wider.

“Baby…Richie, I need you now,” Eddie gasped. 

Richie’s eyes snapped up from his hips up to his eyes, and he quickly grabbed the lube to rub on his dick. Once it was thoroughly spread, he grabbed Eddie’s hips again and guided him down. He pulled out his fingers and had both of his hands spread across Richie’s chest while he continued to lower his body. He then felt the head of Richie’s cock against his hole, and whimpered as he started to push in. Not only was he big, he was also on the thicker side. Eddie’s taken slightly thicker, but Richie was by far the biggest overall. His eyes fluttered shut again, and he dragged his hands down to Richie’s abdomen as he started to bottom out. It was a slow glide, but it was smooth nonetheless. When he finally could rest on Richie’s hips he was met with a hearty groan under him, and that was when he opened his eyes again.

Underneath him, his lover looked flushed. His cheeks bright red, and his chest moving irregularly as he clutched Eddie’s hips. He only pulled off to push his glasses back up, and then he was right back to gripping him like a bear trap. Eddie bit his lip at the scene, and was pleased to see Richie unable to take his eyes off of him. For so long he wanted Richie to look at him, and like it. He wanted Richie to be attracted to him and be aroused by him. Now he could clearly see what Richie thought of him and his body. He then rolled his hips a little, and Richie’s brows pinched and he bit back a whimper.

“Fuck, Eds…you’re so tight,” Richie murmured. Eddie merely nodded and guided Richie’s hands up his body. He touched all over Eddie’s waist and eventually up to his nipples. Eddie outright whined when Richie rubbed his thumbs back and forth against both his nipples, and pushed his hips down harder on his cock. “Jesus…” Richie moaned.

“You wanna know why I’m so tight, Rich? Because you haven’t been fucking me, baby. I’ve been wanting you to nail me ever since I first crashed here. Wanted you to say ‘fuck your boyfriend’, flip me around, and fuck me over your counter,” Eddie rambled as he started to move his hips a little faster. Richie’s eyes got wide when Eddie told him that, and they got heavy when he picked up the pace. He moaned and then hissed as he moved his hands back down to grip his hips.

“Holy fuck…”

“You know what, Rich? You know how many times I got off thinking about you splitting me in fucking half in your shower? I came nearly every time I turned the water on with a finger up my ass imagining it was your dick. Imagined you taking my clothes off for me and then fucking the shit out of me while I’m trying to shampoo,” Eddie continued. He was nearly bouncing on his lap at that point, wheezing and gasping for breath between almost every word while digging his fingers into Richie’s skin again. Richie was gasping as well, and let out a pitiful moan when Eddie started getting into his fantasies.

“God, I’m such a fucking slut for you, Rich. I was fucking _moaning_ in front of you thinking about your fat cock. Thinking about sitting on it while you just watch and touch me. Wanted to sit on you on the couch. Fuck you in the middle of your stupid show that didn’t make any fucking sense. Wanted my fingers in your hair with your dick so far up my ass I could feel it in my throat,” he went on. He leaned down closer to Richie’s face, and whined as Richie started shoving his hips back up in retaliation. “Mmh! Fuck!”

“Fucking shit…god, that’s so fucking dirty. You’re so fucking hot,” Richie groaned. Eddie slammed his hips down against Richie’s and kissed him as best he could with their bodies moving so desperately against each other.

“Mm…I really am. I’m so fucking dirty, baby. I can’t…can’t stop thinking about this. You should fucking punish me, babe. Fuck me so hard and make me cry… _Fuck!_ …Teach me a lesson and give it too me fast and hard. B…Bend me over the sink, the counter, the couch,…oh god…and make me t…take it until I’m a sobbing mess. Then keep going until you’re satisfied and fuck me again,” Eddie blabbered. 

His eyes rolled shut as Richie seemed to take over most of the heavy lifting. His body starting to melt and rag doll as Richie shoved his cock up against his prostate. He let his head fall and rest against Richie’s chest, but he kept pushing his hips down against Richie’s as his lover fucked up into him. He didn’t fully acknowledge they were moving until he was suddenly on his back with Richie hammering his hips into him. He moaned and accepted the new position, holding his legs up to his chest and using his heels to push against Richie’s back. Then his thighs were being pushed back by Richie’s large hands, and he couldn’t help but cum from how overwhelming it all was. He came so hard it hit his own chin, and probably Richie’s too.

“Mm…Richie…” he moaned sweetly. Richie groaned in response, and when he opened his eyes he could see Richie watching him.

“Fuck, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he whimpered as his brows furrowed and his hips stuttered. Eddie gasped as Richie pushed extra deep and buried his face into his neck. He could feel his hot breath against his skin as he came inside him, and then stayed there as he caught his breath. Eddie moaned with approval and ran his fingers through Richie’s hair.

“Holy shit,” he sighed.

“Please tell me this isn’t a dream,” Richie sighed and pushed his hips a little more snug against Eddie’s. He gasped at the over stimulation, and Richie nibbled at his neck.

“Not a dream…definitely not a dream…you’re definitely fucking me again once we recover,” Eddie hummed wrapped his arms tightly around Richie’s neck.

“You say that like I wasn’t already planing on it…although you are so much fucking kinkier than I thought you were,” Richie replied.

“What on earth gave you the idea that I wouldn’t be an absolute fucking mess in the bedroom?” Eddie asked. Richie gave a heavy sigh.

“Pure lack of fantasizing in attempts not to get my hopes up?” Richie guessed.

“Gee, what’s that like?” Eddie scoffed.

“You really don’t hold back. Huh, baby?” Richie purred. Eddie bit his lip at the sound of Richie’s voice so rough after sex and nodded.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. _Especially_ when it comes to you fucking me,” he murmured. Richie groaned against his neck and then pushed himself up to kiss him on the lips.

“I think we should probably clean up the kitchen a little bit before round two, don’t ya think?” Richie suggested. Eddie shook his head.

“Not with all this cum in me. Wanna be your cock warmer until we can go again,” Eddie hummed and kissed him deeper. Richie moaned against his lips and jerked his hips forward again. Eddie gasped, his dick half hard already, and then smiled as Richie struggled with even breaths against his lips.

“Fuck, you’re _so_ fucking hot,” Richie groaned. Eddie stroked his hair.

“I love you,” he whispered. Richie sighed and then smiled.

“I love you too…so much,” he murmured. They shared a sweet kiss, but Richie pulled back regardless. “You stay here, okay sweetheart? I’ll be right back, I just need my phone from the living room,” he said. Eddie pouted, but allowed Richie to pull out and leave anyways. Sure enough, he was back within seconds, and returned with kisses.

“Anything from the losers?” Eddie asked. Richie pulled back enough to check his phone and then nodded.

“Yeah, they’re all texting me memes about being gay,” Richie said with a smirk. Eddie giggled and let Richie lay next to him. He snuggled up to his chest and watched him scroll through his notifications. Then a text popped up from an unknown number, and Richie groaned before letting his head fall back. “God! Fucking Jasmine,” he grumbled. The phone then went off with the unknown number calling. Before Richie could decline it, Eddie stopped him.

“Wait, let me answer,” he said. Richie frowned, but still allowed Eddie to take the device and press the _accept call_ button. “Hello?”

“Hello? Is this Richie? Your voice sounds different, babe,” Jasmine said.

“Uh, no this is actually Eddie. Richie is busy at the moment. Who is this?” He answered. Richie was trying not to laugh, and Eddie was smiling with him.

“This is Jasmine. His _girlfriend_. Can I speak to him? It’s urgent,” she said. Eddie hummed for a moment.

“Oh, you’re the girl I saw in the mail room, right? The one with the letter?” Eddie asked. She scoffed a little.

“Yes. Who are you again? Richie’s friend or something?” She questioned. Eddie bit back his smile as he looked up at Richie and tried not to laugh.

“Uh, yeah at the time I was his friend. I’m not so much anymore,” he told her. Richie couldn’t hold back his laugh anymore and flirtatiously touched Eddie’s belly. His cum still warm across his skin.

“Oh, that’s too bad. You were best friends, right? I’m sure you’re moving out now, huh?” She said with a distinct lack of pity in her voice. Eddie chuckled himself a little and watched Richie pick up some cum and lick it off his finger. He wrinkled his nose, and Eddie cupped his chin with one hand to squish his cheeks.

“Not really. We’re actually closer now, so we aren’t friends like we used to be,” he told her. She paused for a moment, and Eddie giggled as Richie stuck his tongue out at him.

“What are you laughing at? Where the hell is Richie? I need to talk to him about our _relationship_ ,” she said starting to sound frustrated.

“Sorry, I was laughing at Richie. He’s actually right next to me. What did you need to tell him?” Eddie hummed. He let go of Richie’s cheeks and smiled as Richie pressed a kiss to the back of his hand.

“It’s not important to _you_. You’re not even his friend anymore, remember?” She sounded like she was gloating, but Eddie was too focused on the way Richie looked at him as he kissed his hand and his fingers sweetly.

“Oh yeah that’s right. It’s hard to remember sometimes because it’s like a _dream_ , y’know? I thought about it for so long, but…” he paused to redirect his focus on the conversation. “…fucking your best friend is so much better in real life.” Richie bursted out laughing at that, and Eddie giggled with him as silence came from the other line.

“I…you’re just fucking with me! Richie is as straight as a pole! I know, he had sex with me like five times in college!” She insisted. Eddie bit his lip as Richie pulled Eddie’s hand back to his lips and then started to lick his fingers.

“Cool. He’s gonna fuck me five times _today_ ,” he replied.

“That’s my fucking boyfriend, you pervert! If I find out you’re actually making him fuck you behind my back—“

“Oh, I’m not making him do anything. He kinda jumped me this morning,” Eddie told her. Richie furrowed his brows at that.

“Did not,” he argued.

“Yeah, you did! I was just trying to make us breakfast, and then _you_ came into the kitchen with only your boxers on, you slut,” Eddie argued back. Richie laughed at that.

“You’re the one who fucking dropped on your knees to give me a fucking blow job!”

“Yeah, _after_ you teased the shit outta me!”

“Just give the phone to, Richie! I need to talk to him!” Jasmine snapped. Eddie rolled his eyes and handed the phone over. Richie sighed and took it.

“Hello?”

“Richie! What the hell is this guy talking about? You’d never actually cheat on me, right? You’re just teasing me, right?” She said. Her shrill and whiney voice loud and clear from how close Eddie was to Richie. He touched Richie’s chest again and leaned over to kiss his neck while he talked.

“Jas, we broke up in my junior year. We dated for like three months. You gotta stop calling me,” he told her point blank.

“Richie! Don’t say that!” She cried. Richie sighed again and shook his head.

“Look, we’re over, okay? Been over. I’m actually not straight at all, and the only way I could get off when we hooked up was if I closed my eyes and imagined you were some skinny little twink who apparently has an untapped oral fixation—“ Richie hissed as Eddie flicked his ear. “ _Ow_ —anyways. You’re a pretty girl. You should date a guy who’s like actually into women,” he suggested.

“Jesus Christ, Richie. You’ve lead me on all these years just to tell me you’re fucking gay?” Jasmine questioned. Eddie chuckled at that and gingerly sucked on Richie’s skin. Richie gave a tiny hum in response and let his eyes blink slowly.

“I mean, I literally wasn’t leading you on, but I guess you could say yes to that,” he replied.

“You’re a fucking asshole, Richie Tozier. I thought you loved me!” She sobbed.

“I have no idea why you thought that…” he let out a heavy breath as Eddie touched down his body and rubbed the space just above his quickly hardening cock. “…but I’m in the middle of hashing out about a decades worth of sexual tension and frustration with the love of my life right now, so I’ll let you freak out on your own now,” he said as he watched Eddie’s fingers wrap around his dick and slowly start to stroke it. He bit his neck, and Richie quickly ended the call as he let out a full on moan. “Fuck, you’re so hot.”

“I wanna choke on your dick again,” Eddie hummed. Richie nodded and turned his head to kiss him on the lips.

“Honey, I am not gonna stop you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes jasmine only exists as a plot device lol
> 
> If you wanna keep in touch more personally follow my insta! @gay_an_feral
> 
> If you interact with me I’ll most likely follow you back, but if you just wanna keep tabs that’s totally chill too :)

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of this is self indulgent because I usually write for myself, but if you like this too then that’s alright lol


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